Chance of Lightning
by Shanenator777
Summary: My first story, a continuation from Yunno's "Silent Conspiracy." After what happened to Tech, how can the team possibly recover?
1. Recovery

Chapter 1: Recovery

(The evening following the Clampett Galaxy disaster left Tech exhausted, so he slept soundly, but the night after…)

Pink triangle.

Lexi jolted awake and almost fell out of her bed as a loud, shrieking howl rent the still, peaceful silence that had been enveloping them all just moments ago. 'What on Acmetropolis was that!' she thought to herself as she rolled out of bed, put on her slippers, and checked the clock. 4:23 AM. Just great.

The howl was unmistakably Tech's since he was the only creature on the team that was inclined to do so. As Lexi opened her door and stepped out into the hallway, she jumped back with a yelp as a bright red-and-blue blur flashed past her, almost bowling her over. "Hey, watch it Rev!" she called, slightly annoyed.

"Oops-sorry-didn't-see-you-there-Lex-but-I-gotta-hurry-Tech-sounds-to-be-in-a-bad-sort-of-way-and-after-what-has-happened-recently-I'm-not-gonna-lose-him-again-no-way-no-how-never-again!"

"Ya got dat right, Rev," Ace commented as he also rushed towards Tech's room. Lexi followed him and entered the room to find Tech curled up on the floor, being shaken by Rev and Duck, who had obviously just quacked into the room to see what the problem was. Slam entered just moments after Lexi did and glanced at the slightly glowing greenish coyote with concern.

"Graalgrrblah bad dream?" he ventured. "Sure seems dat way, Slam." Ace answered.

The fearless Loonatic leader cast his eyes around the room trying to logic out the source of the commotion. Everyone was in their pajamas of course, considering the time of night it was. Even Tech was, and Ace could see his dismantled bed sheets and how he had obviously rolled out of bed in a fit of sleeping terror.

"C'mon, c'mon big guy just wake up already," Duck intoned, shaking the coyote still. He cringed as yet another pained howl escaped Tech's lips.

Quick as a flash, Rev got an idea. Also quick as a flash, he executed. Before Tech's howl could die out, Rev had dashed over to Tech's desk, snatched up a bowl that Tech had obviously had some "midnight snack cereal" from, and held it over Tech's face. The concavity of the bowl collected the sound waves and bounced them right back to his ears. Upon hearing his own terrified howl, Tech began to stir and slowly opened his eyes.

"What…what's going on?" Tech said slowly in a confused manner. He saw Duck and Rev on opposite sides of him, still holding him gently while Ace, Slam, and Lexi stared down at him with concerned, but now rapidly turning into relieved, faces.

"Oh, Tech, what's wrong? We were so worried about you." Lexi said softly, reaching down to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She noticed immediately that he was trembling rather violently.

"I….I was dreaming…about my old life in prison…" Tech said slowly and shakily. "Let me assure you, it was most certainly not pleasant."

"Eh, but now dat you've woken us all up, what would ya like us ta do for ya?" Ace asked.

"I…I'm still pretty tired…I think I want to try to go back to sleep for now," Tech answered.

"Well-of-course-you-can-do-that-after-all-it's-still-some-god-awful-time-in-the-early-morning-and-who-wouldn't-want-to-be-asleep-right-now?-And-WOAH!-just-look-at-the-time!" Rev had left his room in such a hurry he hadn't even bothered to check his own clock. Tech chuckled slightly at the roadrunner's antics, just listening to him talk in his normal way helped him relax.

"Ok, then I'm going to try to go back to sleep now," Tech said crawling back into bed. "I'll undoubtedly let you all know if I need help again" he said half jokingly, half nervously.

His teammates filed out of the room, each bidding him good night.

"Grrrgralhrrb nightey night."

"Good night, Tech. Sleep well."

"We'll be back if ya need us, Tech."

"Even I would be willing to skip out on a little more beauty sleep to help out, Tech."

"Don't-you-worry-about-anything-Tech-I-hear-even-a-peep-and-I'll-be-back-in-here-right-by-your-side-so-fast-it'll-make-your-head-spin!" And with that last sentiment, the door to his room slid quietly shut, and Tech sleepily closed his eyes, falling back into the quiet clutches of sleep.

Red triangle.

"So, what do we do now Ace? Just head back to bed and call it an honest night's work?"

"Eh, hold up dere, Duck. Now dat Tech is asleep and we're all awake, I t'ink now is a good time ta figure out how ta help Tech recover from dis whole mess. I mean, let's be honest with ourselves, I doubt dis here problem's gonna disappear in one measly night." The rest of the team muttered their agreements.

"C'mon to da living room, gang. Zadavia gave me some footage that she said would be important ta watch. I t'ink it'll help shed some light on Tech's sufferin'." The team wearily filed into the main lounge and plopped one by one onto the couch in front of the main viewing screen. Ace nervously picked up an Acmetropolis recording disk and inserted it into the machine, taking a seat next to Slam afterwards. The screen came to life and they could see the high-security wing of the Acmetropolis Prison Station. The camera must've been situated right above the elevator doors, because they could see down the hallway and could see the cells and their occupants on either side, including Massive, Sypher, Mastermind, Weathervane, and that crazy dolphin Adolpho.

"What? We're just supposed to watch a few hours of Tech's boring old prison life? What's the point in tha-" Duck's next few words stuck in his throat as he watched the guard raise his truncheon and bash Tech in the back of the head with it, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground face first. "Hey, what's the big idea? I thought beating of prisoners was supposed to be illegal!" Duck fired up again.

"It's supposed ta be, Duck…" Ace murmured, cringing with the rest of the team as Tech was hurled unceremoniously into his cell with Mastermind. The footage from the next day flashed onto the screen, and what they then saw was even more heart-wrenching. The guards came again, but this time they dragged Tech forcefully out of his cell, power-cuffed him, threw him onto the floor and all four of them began kicking him violently. All the team could do was stare in horror. No one moved. No one spoke. No one even noticed the sound of breathing they were so tense.

If any of them had known what this footage contained ahead of time, none of them could have consented to watch it, except for maybe Ace. He did feel very much responsible for Tech's incarceration, after all. It was the least he could do. But as it was, the horrifying footage had them all gruesomely enraptured, and all they could do was stare in terror at the grisly scenes unfolding before them. When Tech was finally thrown back into his cell, the entire team breathed a momentary sigh of relief when they saw his telltale emerald glow surround him, and they knew that his wounds had been healed.

"Well, at least ol' Techy's still got his regeneration going for him. That's gotta be a big help, eh?" Of all the assembled Loonatics, only Duck was even remotely able to maintain his usual composure, and that was only because he had years of experience. The rest of the team largely ignored him however, too fixated on Tech's plight to be concerned with Duck's ego.

The next day's footage was even worse. The guards put a choke chain around Tech's neck and proceeded to brutally kick him again. Every time he howled in pain the leader yanked viciously on the chain, squelching his howls of protest repeatedly. Every member of the team involuntarily rubbed their necks, as if to make sure there wasn't a collar there now.

A full week's worth of footage had gone by now, with the daily beatings continuing and even growing more and more violent. The team could even see the assembled inmates growing more and more perturbed with the continued, unaccustomed, violence. Sypher even spoke up to the guards once, to voice his disapproval (considering that his cell was directly in front of the "action", so to speak), but quickly backed off after the guard threatened him. Another week's worth of the vicious cycle went by; beat, regenerate, beat, regenerate…

As the guard's "experiments" grew more and more reckless, the Loonatics' will to watch grew thinner and thinner. The final straw came when one of the guards turned on an incinerator and completely torched Tech's tail off. Upon watching Tech cry out in terrible pain, despite the collar, Lexi broke down into violent tears. "Oh my god, Tech! I'm so, so sorry this happened to you! It's all our fault!" she cried out between sobs.

The sudden outburst from Lexi sent Rev's nerves over the edge as well, and he also burst out into tears, unable to stand seeing his "l'il bro" be tormented so and even more unable to form coherent sentences of his usual caliber through his sobs. Rev and Lexi threw their arms around each other in a mutual hug, sobbing into each other's shoulders.

Ace gave his team a brief once-over to assess the situation before continuing. Rev and Lexi were no longer watching, instead consoling each other, which was good. Slam was still watching the screen intently. He had seen a lot of physical abuse in his past, so he was able to stomach it better than the rest of them. Ace could tell Duck was trying to be brave and keep watching, but it was obvious by the way he was shaking he couldn't hold out much longer. For his part, Ace felt sickened by the way Tech had been treated in prison, and the feeling of guilt that had been lingering in the back of his mind continued to worm its way into the forefront of his thoughts, unbidden.

The team finally broke down as a whole after a truly awful scene where the guards splayed Tech out on the ground and then stomped down on all four of his limbs simultaneously, undoubtedly breaking all of them. The team could take no more emotional abuse. Rev and Lexi, who had missed a few days' footage trying to pull themselves together had just looked up to try and watch a bit more. They had to stay strong for Tech!

They immediately wished they hadn't. The cries of anguish rang out even louder than before, and the two of them rose to leave. "I'm s-s-sorry Ace, I c-c-can't w-watch anymore!" Lexi cried out.

"M-me n-n-neither!" added Rev. Ace and Slam had shuddered outwardly at this last scene, and Ace decided to pause the video momentarily until he could help his team recover. Duck was the last to act, and as he spoke tears began to run down the side of his face, collecting on his bill.

"D-d-danger D-duck…c-can watch no more of this….it's t-too despicable…" And with that Duck quacked over to his two teammates who were hugging each other near the doorway, adding his anguished cries to the others'.

Now one hour after putting Tech back to bed, the prolonged sounds of crying had reached Tech's ears, and he now stumbled into the common room to see what was the matter. Before he could even open his mouth to speak, he was greeted by the wide-eyed stares of Lexi, Rev, and Duck by the door, their mouths slightly ajar and their cheeks soaked with tears. Ace and Slam were on the couch, also staring at him, both seemingly on the verge of tears (Tech didn't think he'd ever seen either of them cry). He noticed the screen in the background, and saw himself lying in a crumpled heap surrounded by jeering guards. "So…you finally know the truth" he said softly.

At those words, his three distressed teammates simultaneously threw themselves at him, barraging his ears with their sobs, distressed apologies, and general blubbering. Tech simply smiled grimly and wrapped his arms around them, closing his eyes and enjoying their embrace. Slam stood up and garbled "grrfrarlblah seen enough," eliciting an agreeable nod from their esteemed leader. The two of them added their strong arms to the group, cementing the team in a circle of friendship.

After a solid ten minutes, everyone had managed to calm down, but no one spoke or moved. They all just stood there, quietly, not speaking or moving but simply listening to the sound of each other breathing normally. Finally, Tech spoke again. "It's okay guys, we all did what we had to do, and in the end all that matters is that we were successful."

Ace answered for the whole team: "No, Tech. It's not ok. Your nightmares tanight were real and I doubt they're gonna go away anytime soon. But now we share your nightmares, and we will stick together until it is ok once again."

Nodding their heads but saying nothing more, the rest of the team agreed. No one spoke or moved for another five minutes more before they finally pulled apart at some unspoken signal. Rev was the first one to break the silence. "Man-oh-man-what-a-crazy-morning-it's-been-for-us-all-huh?-I'm-really-feeling-shaken-up-but-you-know-what-always-helps-get-rid-of-that-feeling?-One-of-my-good-old-pick-me-up-shakes-I-think-I'm-going-to-go-make-myself-one-right-now-and-hey-how-about-I-whip-us-all-up-one-I-bet-we-could-all-use-it!" Everyone laughed together at the roadrunner's sudden returned enthusiasm.

"Sure, Rev. That sounds great." Tech replied.

"Ooooh breakfast! Rfflgeblah me help!" Slam said following the roadrunner into the kitchen. And so, the reunited team (both physically and emotionally) enjoyed a hearty Slam-and-Rev breakfast that morning to get a good start to what would surely be a wonderful day. Today, everyone knew, would be a day spent solely together, enjoying each other's company and friendship, and healing their emotional wounds. As a team. Just like it always was, and always would be.

Green Triangle.


	2. New Kid on the Block

Chapter 2: New Kid on the Block

Green Triangle.

Tech slowly walked through the hallway from his lab to his bedroom, rubbing his eyes sleepily. As usual, Tech was the last Loonatic to go to bed, and had spent the last two hours cleaning up his lab. Not tinkering, like he usually did in his free time (and late at night), but just cleaning. He also did some fixing, and had managed to repair Lexi's exo-suit and Rev's communicator, among a few other odds and ends. 'It's good to be back…' he mused.

Today had been an outstanding day for him. After today, he promised himself that he would never, ever doubt his friends, no, his family, again. No training. No missions. No reports, paperwork, or chores. The team had spent the entire day having fun as a group, the enjoyment of each member further contributing to the enjoyment of everyone else.

Tech sighed happily as he closed the door to his room behind him. He then glanced nervously at his bed, wondering what would transpire during the night. Tomorrow would be a pretty normal day, he was sure of that, but tonight? Tech wasn't so sure. He really didn't want to wake his entire team up during the middle of the night again. It was obvious to him that everyone was pretty tired after last night, but he was also exhausted and knew that he had to get some sleep.

"Hmm…maybe I'll try soundproofing my room tomorrow…" he muttered thoughtfully, running some quick calculations in his head to determine how he would do this, what he needed, and how long it would take. He's said it once and he'll say it again: mechanical engineering is just SO easy. "Oh well, nothing for it," he said as he climbed into bed. 'Sweet dreams, Tech…' he thought to himself as his eyes slowly closed.

Fade to black.

The next evening, Acmetropolis:

A massive explosion rent the still, peaceful atmosphere of the Friday evening. Almost immediately, the sounds of alarms and scattered gunfire followed suit. The disturbance could be heard for miles, and it piqued the attention of a human working in a lab a few blocks away. Right before the explosion, this young man had just put the finishing touches on what appeared to be a large, green and gold robotic suit, currently covered in assorted weapons, armors, and gadgets. "Aaaaah…complete at last!"

The laboratory was a fairly large room, just recently illuminated red by the light of the welder the human had been using. Now, however, it was stark white and relatively clean for a lab in use. Despite its size, the lab was clearly a one-man-show based on the amount of stuff that filled the room. This lab was really part of a slightly larger warehouse-like structure, with the rest of the volume taken up with basic living necessities such as a kitchen, bedroom, living room, and bathroom. The human was currently renting this place out as a place to live, and spent most of his free time in the lab tinkering with his many projects.

The human himself was of a tall, lanky build, but not unnaturally skinny. He was Caucasian, standing about 6 feet tall with bright blue eyes and a shock of slightly spiky blonde hair. Despite having a small profile upon closer examination one could see that he was slightly muscled, but not overly so suggesting that his build was only recently acquired. Considering the recessivity of most of his genes, he was a bit of a standout here on Acmetropolis. A fact that he was slightly proud of, and one that was noticed a bit more than he wished by the girls.

Upon hearing the explosion the human cringed, and then ran some simple calculations and quick tests before deciding that now was the time for a little test run. He flipped on his suit's radio as he climbed in to see what the commotion was about. "This is breaking news! We've just received word that the infamous Stoney the Stone and Bugsy the Bug have broken out of their temporary holding cell while waiting to be transferred back to Acmetropolis Prison Station Alpha! They have stripped several guards of their weapons and are now fleeing the scene as the shootout between cops and robbers continues."

The human smiled to himself slightly, switching off the "breakout" news. Now fully encased in his suit, he drew himself up to his full height of about 6 and a half feet and began testing the hydraulics and various weapon deployments. "Neuron stabilizers…check. Gravitron gyros…check. Blast shield deployment…check. Duel turbo plasma blasters…check. Enhancement mechanism…check. Particulate phaser arcs…check. Propulsion boots…check." He punctuated his last remark by hovering off the ground slightly.

Having finished his checklist, the human grinned like a child in a new toy store. "Alright, time to take my dream to the next level! This will be the perfect way to test my new suit," he said excitedly, but then with slightly less gusto, "as well as my personal abilities…" Striding towards the door, the human suddenly turned around and rushed over to a seemingly blank wall.

After touching the wall in a few very subtle ways, a door opened up to reveal what would most likely be his greatest invention ever…and his most terrible. He removed its single occupant, what appeared to be an oddly shaped rocket launcher or something, and slung it over his back. "Ahh… and last but most certainly not least, the Transmutation Spinner."

The human smiled grimly. The technology behind the spinner was something that he was sure only he had discovered, considering his extremely, ah, unique education, and it was not something he believed could be responsibly shared with the world. Most likely, he would destroy it at some point and carry the secret to his grave, leaving it to be discovered several years down the road where it could be more responsibly handled. Now fully prepared, the tin can hero shut his secret vault and headed out the door crying, "Fear no more Acmetropolis! L'il Lightning has arrived!"

Lightning Bolt (it's on his helmet).

Rapidly fleeing from the scene of the crime, Bugsy and Stoney were running for their freedom. "Uhh, what do we do boss? Boss didn't make it out!"

"Shut up. We's got ta make our getaway. It's what Pink woulda wanted. Now keep blastin'!"

"Uhh, ok boss, whatever you say!" Bugsy said dimly, turning to fire at several of the pursuing guards as they kept running for safety.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the sky, growing rapidly larger as it approached the fleeing bad guys. The figure suddenly made a loop-the-loop, speeding down towards the pavement in front of them before slamming into a crouch, stopping the goons dead in their tracks. The pavement cracked slightly from the force of the impact, and what appeared to be a giant metal man raised his head and stared Stoney and Bugsy down.

"Hey now, who's dis here loser? Scram buddy, we's got ta make our escape! Get movin' real fast-like or we gonna start blastin'!" The figure raised himself into a standing position before crouching into a fighting position.

"You wanna get away? Well tough nuts guys, you're going to have to go through me first!"

"Uhh, boss? We start shootin' now?"

"Yes, you idiot! Blast dis here numb nuts before the coppers catch us!"

With that, the two gangsters produced as much weaponry as they could operate at once and started blasting away at the solitary figure. Almost instantaneously, two metallic concave shields sprouted from the figure's wrists and he deftly deflected many of the incoming shots back at the now bewildered gangsters, managing to destroy a few of their weapons in the process. He felt the shields pulse with energy, repeatedly activating their very strong yet localized electromagnetic fields that helped divert the energy blasts.

Taking advantage of their distractions, a miniature rocket launcher deployed from the inner side of his right forearm, and he shot it at the ground between the two of them forcing them to roll in opposite directions. Quick as a flash, the metal man grabbed the launcher on his back, aimed it at Bugsy, and fired. Instead of a normal projectile however, the launcher fired a spinning net, made of an unknown material and glowing faintly green.

The net struck true, entangling Bugsy while he was distracted and bringing him down. "Aaah, boss he's got me!" With a quick click of a button on his left wrist, the shield disappeared and an arc of lightning shot out at the net around Bugsy. The lightning served as a taser, zapping Bugsy for a brief span until he was subdued. The net, however, was no longer a net. It was now a very flexible, yet strong, clear plastic that reminded Bugsy of plastic wrap for sandwiches and such.

"Yes!" The figure cried in triumph. "The spinner is a success!"

"Hey there, mac, ya forget about me already?" Stoney said, pointing his dual pistols at the back of the figure. Immediately, he launched himself into the air and spun around just in time to start deflecting Stoney's shots, expertly driving them right back to where they came from and demolishing both of his pistols.

Now out of firepower, Stoney began to panic. "Aaaah, I'm outta here!" He cried as he began to sprint away. The figure merely tapped a button on his right wrist, pulled his arm back, and then made a slicing motion through the air with said arm. Mid arc, however, the shield detached itself and flew towards Stoney, smacking him in the back of the head with a satisfying metallic *clunk!* and bringing him down.

Once again, the spinner fired, entangling Stoney before he could even hope to get away, and once again the lightning flared, shocking Stoney and strangely turning the net into a stretchy, sticky, plastic-like substance. The figure dusted his hands off and retracted all of his gizmos, striding over to the now-subdued Stoney and scooping up his shield. "Haha, looks like it's back to the pokey for you fellas after all!" he said with a chuckle, and as Stoney noticed for the first time, a slightly metallic accent to block his true voice. Smart.

By now, the police and prison security had caught up, only to find a strange figure standing over a bound and subdued Stoney and Bugsy. The head security guard strode up with his thanks. "Hey, thanks for the assist there, friend. I'm glad to see the citizens of Acmetropolis still care about upholding justice despite the Loonatics' absence. I haven't seen you around though, are you some new vigilante crime fighter?"

"You could say that," the figure said folding his arms, obviously pleased with himself. "Just call me L'il Lightning! And yeah, I figured I could take over in the Loonatics' absence." The security guard smiled but shook his head.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, kid. We appreciate the help but let's be honest here. A lightly armed Stoney and Bugsy are probably some of the most benign villians to be fought here on Acmetropolis. We don't need you to hurt yourself trying to take the Loonatics' place."

Kid? Who was he calling a kid? The officer's words stung Lightning slightly, and he answered a little more forcefully. "I appreciate your concern officer, but with science like this I think I am the better judge of what I can and can't do. I've been working on this for half a year now and I think you'd be surprised by what it can do." Lightning said indignantly, gesturing to his suit.

The officer simply smiled that same, sad smile. "Well, there's nothing that says citizens can't help with the apprehension of wrongdoers, so long as they do not hinder professional forces. If you wish to stick your neck on the line for us then I can only wish you the best of luck." Suddenly, there was a bright light in the sky, and a spiral of red and yellow began to appear. "Heh, looks like the Loonatics have finally arrived, see if they can't talk some sense into you." The officer said, striding off to oversee the transport of Stoney and Bugsy.

Lightning stared daggers at the officer's back, but then shook it off. He knew the officer was only trying to keep him from getting hurt. But the spinner worked! Nobody knew his power, nobody! He was confident he could take on any threat with a surprise weapon like that. True, Stoney and Bugsy weren't the most threatening of individuals, especially considering their relative lack of firepower, but everything had worked perfectly and he'd taken them down without hardly breaking a sweat!

His confidence rapidly drained, however, as the Loonatics filed out of the wormhole and began gliding down towards them. Although he admired his heroes very much and aspired to follow in their footsteps, he was afraid of what they might think of him if they discovered some of his…secrets. So, he slowly slunk off into a dark side alley, deciding to try to get home on foot.

As he left, he very faintly heard Ace rally his troops and they began a downward dive towards the scene of the crime. His job was done, and now it was time to return to normal.

Yellow Triangle.


	3. L'il Lightning

Chapter 3: L'il Lightning

Orange Triangle.

Ace and the other Loonatics exited the wormhole into the atmosphere of Acmetropolis ready for action. "Ok, gang! Time ta track down Stoney and Bugsy before dey…get…away?" The rest of the team looked oddly at Ace.

"Something the matter, Ace?" Tech inquired.

"Yeah…it seems like a mysterious someone has beaten us to da punch. Come on!" he called, started to head towards the ground. With his enhanced vision, Ace was the only one who could see Stoney and Bugsy lying on the pavement, subdued. There was something else he saw though, something that made him more than a little bit curious.

Upon seeing a strange figure sneak off into the alley, combined with the fact that Stoney and Bugsy were already under control somehow, he grew suspicious. "Hey Duck, someone strange just walked off into dat dere alley. Think ya can go say hi?"

"No problemo, Ace! I'll stop that sneak right in his tracks!" And with that, Duck quacked away.

Lightning paused behind a dumpster to watch the five Loonatics land and begin talking to the officers, evidently in some confusion over what had transpired. Lightning understood, they had been expecting a fight and showed up to find things had already cleaned themselves up. He swelled with pride once again, 'That's right Loonatics! The common criminal here on Acmetropolis is no longer of your concern!' He thought proudly. Wait a second, five Loonatics?

"Ahem, going somewhere, my good sir?" Lightning froze at the voice behind him. When he slowly turned around he was greeted by a rather cocky-looking Danger Duck, staring at him with a slightly bored expression. "Well, c'mon already say something! It's not every day we get whisked off to duty and then find our work cleaned up for us y'know."

"Oh, h-h-hello there, Danger Duck." Lightning tried to remain calm but his angst was quite obvious.

Duck was quite amused by the sudden fear. "Haha, what's wrong there tin man? Cat got your tongue? Or are you just awestruck by the presence of the Action Hero Supreme: Danger Duck?" He questioned, breaking out into a heroic pose. Lightning rolled his eyes. For exactly this reason, Duck was his least favorite of the Loonatics, and now he had to put up with him for real! Lightning weighed his options.

On the one hand, he DID have his jet boots, so he could try to get away from the Loonatics and hide somewhere. Unfortunately, the chances of that actually working were slim to none, considering the combined powers of Duck and Rev. But on the other hand, Lightning had always fretted over what the Loonatics would think if they learned his secrets…

Before he could properly deliberate, Duck's patience ran out. "All right, time's up mister. Let's go report in!" And with that Duck grabbed Lightning's wrist.

Lightning's eyes widened as he realized what Duck was about to do. "W-w-wait, no!" But it was too late. Duck and Lightning materialized right in the middle of the rest of the Loonatics, who had just finished debriefing with the prison officers. Unbalanced by the sudden teleportation, Lightning fell unceremoniously onto his behind.

"Here ya go, Ace! One metallic misfit just like you ordered!"

"T'anks Duck, poifict timing! Eh, so what's up Doc?" Ace inquired, eyeing the strange figure. All of the Loonatics followed suit, not quite able to understand what he was supposed to be. To them he probably looked downright comical. A six-and-a-half foot tall green and gold colored tin man, covered in gadgets and lightning bolts, sitting on the ground trying to shake off the strange feelings left by the quacking.

Tech could tell he was disoriented, so he offered a suggestion: "That's a mighty fine looking combat suit there, champ. But how about you ditch the helmet so we can see what you really are?"

"Fine," Lightning grumbled. Seemingly without effort, the helmet split into three main plates and slid into his back and two shoulders. The face that greeted the Loonatics was that of a young human wearing an innocent-looking smile but with obvious concern radiating from his blue eyes. "What can I help you fine folks with?" He asked casually as he stood up, trying to sound more confident then he really was.

"Eh, how about we start with a name, as well as an explanation for how dis here mess got all cleaned up." Ace began. The human stared at Ace, and then at each of the other Loonatics consecutively. Finally he sighed defeatedly and began to talk.

"All right, here goes. I call myself L'il Lightning and today was my first test run of my newest inventions, the Turbo Exo-Suit 7000 and complementary Transmutation Spinner! It's a project I've been working on for half a year now, and it's basically an exoskeletal suit designed to protect the user from limited danger, while also supplementing his abilities by providing a mechanical enhancement to their natural physical prowess via a remote stimulator installed in each of the…"

Obviously freaking out now, Lightning reverted back to the only language he always felt comfortable with: science! As long as he could remember, science had been his friend, mentor, and purpose in life. Without it, he wasn't sure what he would do. He was truly glad that he had been gifted with the ability to understand its subtleties, and use them to better himself and those around him. As he rambled on and on about vague technical details involving his suit, Tech and Rev followed his speech with interest while the rest of the team groaned as they were quickly lost in the onslaught of technical jargon. God, he was almost worse than Tech!

"Woah, woah, woah slow down dere buddy boy," Ace finally interjected. "I didn't ask ya about how da suit woiked, I want to know how YOU woik," he said, gently poking Lightning in the chest. "Now how's about we start over with where ya came into dis whole Stoney and Bugsy mess, huh?"

"Oh sure, that's easy enough. I heard they had escaped from prison and I needed to test my suit, so I flew over here and caught them."

"Dat's it? All by yourself?"

"Sure did!" Lightning's pride at his accomplishment began to flow back, only to be deflated by the incredulous looks he received in response.

"Well, I guess that matches with what the security guard told me," Lexi added. "He said he found Stoney and Bugsy tied up and this strange guy in a robot suit standing over them. Seems probable enough to me."

"Hmm, I see. How exactly did ya go about stoppin' em doc?"

"Yeah-how'd-ya-do-it?-Did-ya-take-em-by-surprise-or-run-em-down-or-beat-them-in-a-contest-of-brute-force-or-" Rev was cut off as Tech clamped his fingers down on his beak, a bemused expression on his face.

Lightning described how he managed to take down the gangsters, showing them the shields and rocket launcher he had referred to. He smoothed over the part involving his spinner and arc launcher though. While the rest of the Loonatics nodded in approval and congratulated him on a job well done, Tech wasn't buying it. "Fine, but how did you manage to wrap them up in plastic? With that thing?" he inquired, indicating the launcher on Lightning's back.

"Heeyyy, yeah how come you never mentioned that thing-a-ma-jig before huh? Is it valuable or somethin'?" Duck spoke up.

Lightning instantly got nervous again "well…um…y'see…" Sensing his hesitation, and also wanting to avoid another spat of unintelligible technical talk, Ace intervened.

"Hold up dere, Tech, youse two can talk science all ya want later, but for now we need ta keep it so dat everyone can understand."

"Fpppttgral no science!" Slam agreed. Tech looked a little put-out but said nothing.

"All right den, dat's settled. Well Doc, we sure appreciate da help you've given us today, or at least would've appreciated it if we didn't have ta fly out here."

"Heh, sorry Ace I would've loved to let you know I was going to handle it."

Ace's eyes clouded in thought at that comment. "Actually Doc, dat might not be a bad idea. If ya can prove yourself ta be able ta handle da job over da next few days, we might set ya up as our very own Loonatic police force here on Acmetropolis. Sure would be convenient ta have our own set of eyes and ears over here 24/7. Here, I'm gonna give ya da code you can use ta reach us at our HQ, and we'll be able ta contact each other and decide if ya can handle t'ings or not as dey come up."

Lightning's eyes lit up at that comment. "Oh, wow, you would be willing to let me work with you all? That would be absolutely fantastic! It's everything I could've ever hoped for!"

The Loonatics smiled at his obvious excitement. "Well, what can I say? Everyone's enthralled to get a chance to work with the fabulous Danger Duck!"

Lexi rolled her eyes at that comment. "Oh, can it, Duck. We don't need you to scare away the new guy on the first day."

"Me? Scare? Oh please, missy, hardly the case. In fact, I'd say the natural, rugged good looks that we ducks all share will keep everyone comin' back for more!"

"Eh, I dunno about dat one Duck, woiking with you is a scaaary prospect at best," Ace added with a wink, eliciting a few chortles from his team.

Duck simply stared sardonically at all of them. "Y'know, sometimes you're all despicable." Lightning was grinning ear to ear as he watched the friendly banter pass around the team. It was obvious that they were a really tight-knit group, and he couldn't wait to get to know his long-time personal heroes better.

Ace and Lightning exchanged communication codes, with Ace informing him that he would be contacting him tomorrow morning so that he could check if it worked and to have Tech do some security updates to that channel. All too soon, it seemed, it was time for everyone to say goodbye. "I'll see ya round town soon enough, Loonatics, I'm sure!" Lightning proclaimed. "I'll be sure to make you proud! You'll see!"

"Eh, one more t'ing, Doc. What did ya say yer name was again?" Ace inquired. Lightning looked uncomfortable again.

"Uhhh…I said I was L'il Lightning." he said, trying to act confused.

"Yer REAL name, Doc. If we're gonna be woiking with ya, we need to know if we can trust ya," Ace said, his gaze turning stern.

"I…I…I…" Lightning was unable to answer the question.

"Ace, I can't help but shake the feeling that he seems familiar to me," Lexi said quietly. "His voice, his face, his…mannerisms. I feel like I've met him before, or at least someone who's similar." Lighting squirmed uncomfortably at this statement, and made a point of staring at his feet.

"Lightning…" Ace growled. "Don't make me do something we're both gonna regret."

At this point Tech stepped forward with a scanner in hand. "Don't worry chief, I'll take care of this little mystery."

Tech began scanning Lightning, who simply stood there and let it happen. He couldn't safely fight it anymore, but Lexi noticed that he was almost on the verge of tears. She sighed and stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on his metallic shoulder. "Lightning c'mon…we all want to be your friends. Is there something you're hiding from us?" Lightning stared at her for a moment or two, his eyes unfocused and slightly wet, before finally nodding his assent that yes, indeed, he was hiding something. But he refused to elaborate on what.

All eyes now turned to Tech, who was now processing the data on his palmtop computer, rapidly pressing keys and muttering to himself. "Alright, the scan is complete, now all we have to do is wait for a match to appear…Ah-ha! Here's the answer right here…oh." Lightning cringed outwardly at that one little word: "oh." He could no longer help himself; he began to sob quietly into his hands, just waiting for his long-time heroes to run him into the ground.

The assembled heroes glanced at him in concern before turning their eyes towards Tech for an explanation. "Well, Tech?" Ace demanded.

Tech looked remorseful, but answered the question nonetheless. "His name is Michael J. Zane, and as I'm sure you've all deduced his father is…"

"Professor Zane!" Lexi said with a gasp. "I knew I recognized something!" All of them gasped at the sudden realization that this "hero of the day" was actually Zane's son, and then simultaneously cringed at his sudden outburst.

"YES!" he yelled at the team, tears still flowing down his cheeks. "My father is the infamous, CRAZY Professor Zane who created those STUPID little Fuz-Z biopets which ALMOST took over all of Acmetropolis! So now you know the truth! The TRUTH that I am the SON of one of your most hated enemies! One that you all placed behind bars yourselves! A place that I'm sure you all think I belong as well!"

His protests were cut off with a strangled cry as Lexi stepped forward to give him a comforting hug. His surprise at her kindness drained him of any complaint he had left unspoken. "I…I'm sorry…" He sputtered. "That was completely uncalled for…"

"Oh c'mon Zane, we never said anything like that. It's true that we had to lock up your dad but you were a hero today! You don't believe he was locked up without good reason do you?" she asked, looking him straight in the eyes.

The rest of the team stepped forward and placed an encouraging hand on his shoulders, waiting for his response. "No…no I don't believe that…" Zane started slowly. "Y'know, he was really a good guy until the meteor hit. The more I've spoken with him after the fact, the more I think it meddled with his head a bit. As soon as he brought home those 'Fuz-Z's' as he called them, I had a feeling there would be trouble."

"His research before the meteor was fairly benign biological research, you can read some of his publications for proof… only after the meteor struck did his research start to go downhill. I tried to get him to give it up, warning him that nothing good was going to come of such reckless application of science, but he would hear none of it. Next month, I packed up and headed off to Acme Tech and the next thing I know my dad has gone crazy and landed himself in prison."

Zane sighed sadly. "I'm nothing like him. I don't believe in the same things he does, and I'm more of a chemist than a biologist. I genuinely hope to use my scientific abilities for good, like today, rather than for revenge. Are you all willing to look past my family ties?" he asked slowly, significantly calmed down but still apprehensive of rejection.

"Of course we are, Zane. Ya did a good deed taday, one that very few people I know woulda been able to mimic."

"Yeah-totally-I'm-really-surprised-personally-that-you've-turned-out-so-different-I-mean-pleasantly-surprised-of-course-and-that-you-are-willing-to-help-take-down-bad-guys-so-I-think-it's-great-and-I-for-one-welcome-ya-to-the-team!" Zane smiled slightly at their positive enthusiasm.

"I do wish ya would've told us sooner though, what did ya t'ink we was going ta say?"

Zane sighed sadly again. "Oh, y'know, the usual sad story of rejection, surprise, terror, insult, that you would try and send me off to join him or something or that you wouldn't trust me and put me under house arrest or any number of terrible things my over-imaginative brain comes up with in the dark hours…" he mumbled.

Tech spoke up: "Heheh, you must not know us very well then Zane, we rarely act against someone before they act up unless we have a very good reason to believe they are dangerous. It's similar to an algorithm called 'Tit for Tat,' you should look into it. But anyways, have you had a lot of such problems recently?"

Zane stared at the ground again. "Yeah, some of my classmates gave me crap for it and even a few of the professors have given me some funny looks, as though they expect me to suddenly become the harbinger of doom or something ridiculous…"

"Tell me about it," Tech grumbled.

"Well you don't have to worry about that from us, Zane," Lexi started. "We fully support the choices you're making with your life now and look forward to helping you become a crime-fighter extraordinaire. Who knows? Maybe you'll be a role model for your dad and he'll get let out early for good behavior." Zane brightened at that statement.

"Yeah, you're right Lexi, I betcha I could help him like that! Thanks for being so understanding guys, you're all so much greater than I expected!" He said, going around to each member, personally hugging them or shaking their hand as appropriate. Finally, now that everything had been cleared up, the team said their goodbyes to an exuberant Zane, who watched them as a blue-purple wormhole appeared in the sky and they all drifted into it. 'I wonder what it's like to travel by wormhole…' he wondered.

Pink Triangle.

It was dark now on the streets, and Zane wearily gathered up his gear and flew home. After storing everything in his laboratory and making sure it was still all in good condition, Zane quickly microwaved a dinner, brushed his teeth, and collapsed in bed, exhausted. He couldn't wait for that phone call…

Truth be told, neither could Tech. As he zoomed through the wormhole with his team he reflected on Zane's strange behavior surrounding his Transmutation Spinner. If his actions towards his name showed anything, it meant he had another secret he didn't wish to reveal. When everyone got settled in back at HQ, Tech mentioned this fact to Ace, who didn't seem particularly pleased that he failed to notice it.

"Hmm…well I don't know what he hopes ta hide about his gizmo dere, but make sure ya encrypt da channel and ask him about it tomorrow, ok Tech?"

"Sure thing chief, I got it covered."

"I trust dat you will report anythin' about it dat concerns ya, yes?" Tech nodded. "Good. I think I'm going ta call it a night den Tech, try ta have some pleasant dreams tanight, ok?"

"I'll certainly try my best Ace."

Ace looked worried, but remembered that all went well last night, so perhaps they wouldn't be up every night for the next month. Tech watched Ace walk out of the door and head off towards his room. He mentally berated himself for neglecting to mention his plan of soundproofing his room, he would have to do that tomorrow. 'I think I'll call it a night as well,' Tech thought heading to his room. Despite the fact that he was going to bed early by his standards, he was still the last one to hit the hay.

Some things just never change.

Green Triangle.


	4. Secrets to the Grave

Chapter 4: Secrets to the Grave

Purple Triangle.

For the second time since Tech's return, a loud and painful howl rent the still night air of the Loonatics' HQ on Blanc. Slam awoke with a start and a growl, shaking his head to clear it of the residual ringing noise. "Grurgleh kblaa trouble!" he spluttered incoherently to himself. Slam might have been the strongman of the team, but he was really a big softie who genuinely cared for his teammates, and hated seeing (or hearing) any of them be in pain. He stumbled out of bed and began to stomp down the hallway, determined to find Tech and help him feel better.

Of course, the devil was not surprised to find that Rev and Duck were already in Tech's room, what with their super powers and all. Slam could've gotten there faster in tornado mode, but he usually refrained from using his powers indoors given the rather, ah… destructive tendencies they possess. Rev and Duck were seated on either side of Tech's bed, trying to shake him awake as he trembled and tossed violently in his sleep, a clear grimace of pain on his face.

Slam studied the troubled coyote thoughtfully, trying to figure out how best to wake him, short of becoming violent. It was then that he noticed how tense Tech was, as if he was trying to curl up into a ball in his dreams (which no doubt he did often during his incarceration), but wasn't quite doing it in reality. Slam gruffly intervened, pushing aside his two feathered friends and pulling Tech out from beneath the sheets, flipping him onto his back as he did so. Slam then began to knead Tech's back and shoulder muscles roughly, but in a controlled manner.

"C'mon-Tech-ol-buddy-you-just-gotta-wake-up-we're-all-here-for-you-now-and-we-want-to-help-but-ya-gotta-snap-out-of-it-so-come-on-Tech-just-wake-up!" Finally, between Slam's ministrations and Rev and Duck's shaking and pleading, Tech began to stir. Ace and Lexi had entered the room some time ago and simply looked on, letting the devil do what he did best.

Despite his frightening appearance, Slam was much more than the big, tough, strong guy of the team. He knew a lot more about physical health and proper emergency care than any of them, knowledge he acquired during his lengthy and rather successful pre-hero wrestling career. He also happened to be an excellent cook. Not exactly skills one would expect upon first meeting him.

Tech groaned and began to stir, slowly opening one eye and then the other, looking up to find the big devil staring down at him, grinning. Normally, such a sight upon first waking up would be enough to elicit a shout of alarm from most people, but to Tech it was an extremely comforting sight. "Uhhn…hey there, Slam buddy. What's going on?"

"Waarglblu wakey wakey sunshine, ehehehe." Tech looked around to find the rest of the team was also present, all staring at him, concern written clearly on their faces.

"Oh, I was dreaming again…I'm really sorry to keep waking you guys up…" Tech said quietly, shuddering slightly as he recalled his dreams. The guards had been more vicious than ever in his dream, and when they had taken off their helmets it had been the faces of his friends which jeered cruelly at him. It was an awful, terrible dream, and Tech hoped he never, ever had to live through such an experience again.

"Eh, don't even mention it, Tech. We're all here for ya, and we're going ta help ya get through dis, even if we have ta lose some sleep over it." The rest of the team voiced their assent to this remark, and everyone came over to give Tech a brief hug and a comforting word. Since it was only 2:16 in the morning, there was really no choice but for everyone to go back to bed. Much to Tech's delight, Slam volunteered to stay in the room with him, just for a little while. After all, someone had to keep an eye on his little buddy.

As Tech wearily closed his eyes, hoping to return to sleep, the sound of his large friend breathing regularly was extremely comforting. He slept soundly the rest of the night, dreaming of him and Slam carving up the largest roast turkey ever…

Red Triangle. Meanwhile, back at Acmetropolis:

BZZZZT! BZZZZT! BZZ- 'Oh, confound you infernal instrument! Shut up already!' Zane thought angrily as he slammed his alarm clock off. 'Is it really 10 already?' Zane loved to sleep, and often times would stay up late tinkering in the lab and then sleep late into the afternoon. But today was a big day, and he had to be ready for his indoctrinating call from Loonatics HQ. He couldn't wait to see his favorite heroes again and to set up communications with them, to do his part to protect the universe, or at least his favorite little corner of it.

His desire to be ready for the big call overrode his desire to sleep (besides, he hit the sack early last night after his exhausting fight), so he rolled out of bed with a grumble and headed for the shower. Upon finishing his shower and dressing, Zane made his way to the kitchen to microwave some frozen pancakes. He ate slowly, enjoying his meal while he watching the morning news. His mood brightened as he watched a report announcing a new hero in Acmetropolis, one who contained Stoney and Bugsy's breakout yesterday without needing the Loonatics' help at all!

"That's right folks, a young man calling himself L'il Lightning apprehended Stoney and Bugsy yesterday evening with the help of his robotic suit and its assortment of weapons and gizmos. Chief of prison security Dane Marshall says that his team 'welcomed the unexpected assistance, but would like to discourage citizens from engaging dangerous criminals single-handedly, in the interest of their safety.'" Zane frowned slightly at this comment, remembering Dane's remarks from yesterday. He shrugged it off quickly though, reminding himself that Dane had no idea what he was capable of with his scientific discoveries.

"The police remain baffled though, as to how Lightning captured the criminals, since they were found wrapped up tightly in what appeared to be plastic wrap but had to be cut free when the plastic was found to be seamless. More on Lightning's plight to become the new hero of Acmetropolis once he shows up to save the day again. In other news…" The reporter droned on to some lame politics discussion, quickly losing Zane's interest. He turned off the TV and rose to clean his now empty plate in the sink.

Zane passed the next few hours in his lab, manufacturing more ammunition for his Transmutation Spinner, attending to his various experiments and reactions, and drawing up a few designs for new additions to his suit. He had just finished replacing his suit's bracers with Anti-gravity Stabilization rings, in case he ever had to fight Massive, when he finally received the call. His computer console started ringing, a sound that Zane rarely ever heard since he didn't really have any friends. After his dad got arrested for his insane Fuz-Z scheme, people had distanced himself from him. Of course, they weren't super great friends to begin with, but that's another story…

Zane hurried over to the console and pressed the "receive" button. Ace's face materialized on the screen before him. "Yello, this is Zane here."

"Hiya Zane, how ya doin' right now?"

"Not too bad Ace, how about yourself?"

Ace looked distant for a moment before answering. "Eh, a little tired. We had a…ah, distoibance last night."

Zane raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? Anything wrong at headquarters?"

"Nothing we can't handle, though if we seem a little crabby to ya over da next few weeks, just remember it's nothing poisonal because we may be dealing with dis issue for a little while."

Zane feigned dismissal at this remark, despite his burning curiosity over what may be the issue. "Alright, whatever you say. So, what do you need from me right now?"

"I'm gonna put ya on the line with Tech now, and he's gonna stream ya some security protocols for you to run. Just do as he says and we'll be fully functional as partners in no time flat."

"Alright Ace, thanks. I'll talk to ya later." Ace nodded and reached over to press a button. Ace's face cut out to be replaced almost immediately by Tech's, who looked even more disgruntled than Ace had.

Zane raised his eyebrow in surprise yet again. "Heya Tech, you feeling alright? Ace mentioned the team had some trouble sleeping last night…"

Tech looked surprised for a moment before composing himself. "Ah, mention that did he? Yes, unfortunately that is the case but it is of no major concern. I'm sending you those encryption programs now so that we can talk about confidential matters without worrying about security leaks." Zane nodded in understanding. "Are you able to figure out how to run these on your own or would you like some tips?" he asked.

Zane grinned sheepishly. "Actually, computer science isn't my strongest subject so a few pointers would be nice," he said as data files began appearing on his monitor. Zane simply followed Tech's instructions for the next half an hour, carefully weaving an impenetrable cybernetic defense to secure his system. Even with his limited knowledge of programming, however, Zane could tell that this program was extremely strong and would take probably years for the even the one-and-only Acme supercomputer to crack.

"Wow, Tech. Even I gotta say, this program is pretty impressive."

"Well what did you expect? We have more than a few intelligent enemies out there, you know. But thank you nonetheless."

Suddenly, Rev appeared on the screen and began running at the beak. "Yeah-we've-got-to-be-protected-at-all-times-from-some-of-those-creeps-like-Mastermind-she's-really-really-smart-and-once-broke-in-to-our-HQ-back-on-Acmetropolis-and-sabotaged-all-of-our-electronics-and-it-took-an-EMP-to-finally-stop-her-and-then-there's-" Rev was suddenly cut off as Tech grabbed his beak, a slight grin on his face.

"Yes, Rev. Thank you for emphasizing my point. But if you would leave please, there's something that I would like to discuss with Zane in private," Tech said coolly, but placing emphasis on the last two words.

Rev looked a little annoyed but eventually complied, walking out of the lab calling "Ok-but-don't-take-too-long-I-have-to-get-to-work-on-the-supersonic-hoverbike-at-some-point-ya-know!" The doors closed with a swish and Tech got up to lock it.

When he returned, Zane chuckled lightly, "That Rev sure is a character isn't he? Has he always talked that fast?"

Tech looked amused as he replied, "not quite. He can talk normally if he wants to but it takes some effort. I think he talked slower before the meteor as well though we're not really sure. I'm surprised you were able to understand anything he said at all, it takes some getting used to."

Zane laughed at that remark. "I have a pretty quick brain. I'm sure I could adjust in no time. So, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

Tech adopted a serious expression as he began. "I wanted to talk to you about your Transmutation Spinner. It's been bothering me ever since we met. I noticed that Stoney and Bugsy were wrapped up in some sort of plastic, and after the news report this morning about it being seamless, I became even more curious. So how'd ya do it?" Zane's features darkened as he considered Tech's request. He had to tread carefully now…

"You guys watch Acmetropolis news?" he began, trying to distract the coyote. Of course, it was all for naught.

"Of course, we also watch the news for Freleng and Blanc. But that's besides the point. As the head of technology for the Loonatics, I need to know how your stuff works if you're going to be helping us out so that we can know what to expect from you on the field and so I can validate the safety of it. I don't sit well with watching technology that is unknown to me."

Zane sighed and rubbed his temples. What could he say that wouldn't cause a major issue… "Look Tech, I understand your concern but I think it's best if I keep that knowledge to myself. It's…complicated."

"Zane, if you're trying to justify keeping a scientific secret on the basis of complexity I think you need to remember who you're talking to. But fine, if you want to play twenty questions about your discovery so be it. Is it a technology that's already been discovered?"

Zane shook his head no. "At least, I'm fairly certain I'm the only one who knows about it."

"Have you published your findings?"

Zane suddenly became vehement. "No! And I don't intend to anytime soon! It's too dangerous!"

Tech's eyes widened in surprise at this statement. "Too…dangerous? What makes it safe for you to use then? You could be putting us all in danger!"

Zane was starting to get frustrated. He had no choice now but to reveal the truth. Or part of it, at least. "No, no, no, you don't understand. It's not dangerous to use, but I fear for where such knowledge might lead." Zane gave a sigh of defeat before continuing. "Tech, have you thought at all about why I called it the 'Transmuation' Spinner?"

"I was a bit curious, actually, especially considering how the idea of transmutation can be traced back to the ancient science of alchemy. I mean, come on. 'Transmuting' mercury into gold? Ridiculous," Tech snorted.

"No, Tech. It's not ridiculous. That plastic that wrapped up Stoney and Bugsy was not plastic when it was fired from the spinner."

Tech's eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and he was speechless for a moment. "What have you discovered Zane?" he finally asked, the concern in his voice quite evident.

"I…I don't know Tech, but I fear for it. I feel like this technology I have is centuries ahead of its time and that it's too dangerous to be released into the scientific community now. All it would take is for one evil mastermind to read about it and then bam! All my worst nightmares would come true. Truth be told, it is knowledge that I would prefer to take to my grave…"

Tech considered what Zane was saying carefully, the confusion and worry written plainly on his face. "So…what you're saying is that you have discovered how to transform one material into another instantaneously?"

"Not quite. The spinner fires nets that entangle those whom they strike. The nets have a very specific chemical makeup that I will NOT be revealing to you, and then I fire my phaser arc at the net. Depending on what voltage I set the arc to, the net will 'transmute' into another compound. That clear plastic polymer you saw is one of the more useful of these."

Tech stared off into space, considering what he had been told. It was true, this knowledge was far beyond what he expected was possible just a few moments ago, and it comforted him to know that Zane was trying to be responsible with it. "Well, I can honestly say that you're not your father, Zane. By trying to act responsibly with respect to your knowledge you demonstrate the highest moral standards that all scientists should strive for. It's not all about WHAT we know but how we choose to use it. I can understand your previous apathy, and I thank you for confiding some of this knowledge in me."

Zane waved it off. "I had no choice. If I didn't fess up you probably would've bashed down my door to examine the thing yourself."

Tech chuckled, "yes, I very well may have. But back to the point, do you know if your research could be extended to transmuting other compounds?"

Zane grimaced as he considered Tech's question. "No, I haven't done much testing to try to establish other suitable baseline compounds or examined the mechanism in order to try to expand it to more scenarios. However, I don't really want to do such research; I fear for the implications such knowledge could bring about."

Zane shuddered, recalling his nightmare from a few weeks ago. "If this technology was perfected can you imagine what evil could do with it? I can imagine weapons that liquefy people, or…or projectile ammunition that turns to acid upon impact…or ships capable of turning entire planets into glass, or gold, or…or…" Zane's voice failed him. He turned away from Tech to try to hide his tears. He was genuinely scared about what he might have done. If word of his discoveries got out, he could be responsible for so much suffering…

Tech finally began to understand Zane's desire for secrecy, and he decided that it was worthy of respect. "Alright Zane, I can understand the reasons behind your hesitance. I'm glad that you are considering the implications of your research rather than plunging forward blindly like so many others would have done. It's true, the possibilities behind such ideas are terrifying. I thank you again for sharing what you did, I may want to know more about it at some point but I will not press that matter right now. As long as you can assure me that the current processes you use are safe, then I don't have a problem with it."

Zane looked gratefully back to Tech, his composure slowly returning. "Thanks for being so understanding Tech, I really don't want anything bad to happen because of what I've done…"

"Er, Zane, how old are you again?"

Zane looked surprised at the question but answered truthfully. "I'm 23 right now."

It was Tech's turn to look surprised. "How is it exactly that one as young as yourself was able to discover a technology this powerful, and this ahead of its time?"

"Ah," Zane said quietly. "I have had a rather…unique education…"

Tech raised an eyebrow, his expression inviting further explanation. When it was not forthcoming, he voiced his protests, "well?"

Zane started, he had been staring at some distant point lost in his own thoughts. "Well, I really have my dad to thank for it more than anyone else. As you know, my father was quite the genius and obtained five majors and two doctorates from Acme Tech before he began to work in his fields, simply because he believed his knowledge to be insufficient to work on the projects he had in mind. He told me over and over again when I was in high school that in this day and age, pursuing research in single subjects is pretty much a dead-end job, seeing as we know mostly everything there is to know about some fields."

"He told me that the key to being successful, and to making your own imprint on our history of scientific advancement, was to find projects that represented the unison of several different disciplines. Using his Fuz-Z project as an example, he would not have been able to do what he did without his education in the fields of biology, chemistry, genetic alteration, and electromagnetism. When I finally headed off to Acme Tech myself, he reminded me one last time of the importance of educational diversity."

"And so, here I am with majors in biochemistry and mechanical engineering, with a minor in electrophysics. A strange combination, wouldn't you think? And not exactly the sort of combination many people would be interested in, let alone want to put the effort into that strenuous of an education. Truth be told, I discovered the transmutation technology during my first major project out of school. After graduation, I moved in to my own living space here, and currently work for the university on various research projects."

"After my discovery, which was about six months ago, the idea for this device immediately came to mind, followed by the implications it could have. Combine my ideas with my long-standing interest in the Loonatics, and I quickly designed my suit as well, excited to use my new discoveries to try to do good. And now, after long last, I have the recognition of my heroes and the ability to help them. You have no idea how exciting this is for me, Tech, and I vow to do everything in my power to help protect the planet I love and the values I believe in."

Tech nodded sagely, pleased with Zane's description and enthusiasm. "Alright then Zane, it's settled. I'll make sure to pass your sentiments on to Ace. The next time we are informed of a crisis on Acmetropolis, we will contact you and discuss the best course of action. I look forward to seeing how things will turn out."

"Me too, Tech. That's all I can really say for now."

"Alright then Zane, we will talk to you at a later date. Take care of yourself until then."

"Same to you and your team, Tech. I look forward to it."

Tech cut the connection and Zane leaned back in his chair, a pleased smile on his face. Yes, he would show them what he was capable of. He would show them that he was better than his father. He would show the entire planet, no, the universe that he was a soldier of good, determined to support the Loonatics in their sworn mission of protecting the innocent from the forces of evil and catastrophe. Zane returned to his work, humming happily to himself. He just couldn't wait for some crackpot to stir up some trouble…

Green Triangle.


	5. A Massive Breakout

Chapter 5: A Massive Breakout

Yellow Triangle.

The next few weeks were a blur of excitement for Zane. He was now in regular contact with the Loonatics on Blanc and with the Chief of Police and Chief of Prison Security (that Dane guy) of Acmetropolis. It seemed like every other day some maniac decided to go commit some crime in a ludicrous fashion, and Zane relished the opportunities to demonstrate his newfound abilities. Considering how the entire planet is almost one big city, Zane never really appreciated how much crime there was until now. He didn't realize how thinly stretched the police and military forces were.

But now that he was here, the success rate for criminals was dropping rapidly. Time and time again, Zane would arrive on the scene and subdue the criminal using either his Phaser Arc Launcher (like a taser) or his trusty Transmutation Spinner, all the time avoiding injury with his blast shields and newly installed Electromagnetic Wave Stabilizer. His newest addition, which was like a bit of a backpack for his suit, allowed him to generate fields of electromagnetic neutrality around him, stopping several sorts of weapon fire and the occasional meteor-induced ability. He was especially hopeful that the usage of the stabilizer would prevent Mastermind from meddling with his suit, if he ever had to fight her.

Zane spent a good deal of time examining the main super villains the Loonatics had put behind bars, and was confident he could face any of them better than the Loonatics could. Sypher wasn't even an issue, Zane had no physical powers to boast of, only his technological genius and a relatively good physique. With his Anti-Gravity Stabilizer Bracers and Electromagnetic Wave Stabilizer, he was virtually immune to Massive and Mastermind's powers. Between a shoulder-mounted lightning rod and his Phaser Arc Launcher to discharge energy, Weathervane wasn't much of a problem either. 'Isn't technology wonderful?' Zane thought to himself happily, enjoying his breakfast while watching the news, as he always did in the mornings.

The news reporter was talking about him again, and it made him happy. It wasn't about the fame, it was the sense that he was out there doing good deeds and that they were noticed that made Zane truly happy. And people were noticing alright. The media was hailing "L'il Lightning" as the new face of justice on Acmetropolis, replacing the long-standing Loonatics who were now often occupied with intergalactic crises. Suddenly, Zane's computer started ringing. He was used to it by now, seeing as the police chief or even the mayor called often to inform him of various issues he needed to deal with. However, this ring tone was the one belonging to the Loonatics, who he hadn't had much contact with since his original discussion with Tech.

He answered the machine and saw Ace's face materialize. "This is Zane."

"Hey dere, Zane. We got a situation for ya ta handle."

Zane's face lit up at this statement. "Lay it on me, Ace. I'll show you what I can do!"

Ace smiled slightly at that comment. "Eh, ya already have, Doc. But dis is gonna be yer toughest mission yet. Seems like a few of da boys ya've put away recently belonged ta a pretty nefarious crime gang, and as I'm sure ya can guess dey're none too pleased about da 'new hero in town.' A couple of deir cronies disguised themselves as prison guards and busted Massive out of Prison Station Alpha. We don't t'ink Massive knows deir motives, but I'm bettin' dose fiends are hopin' you're gonna try and stop him, and get beat bad."

Zane gulped. So, it was finally his time to fight an actual super-villain. "As I'm sure you're aware, Massive has caused us a fair amount of trouble in da past and needs ta be put back behind bars. Howeva, given dat we've known his powers for some time, and given da amount of time dat I'm sure you've spent studying us, I want ya ta get out dere and try ta stop him. We're on our way, but it will take us some time ta get dere. Dis is yer final test, Zane."

Zane gulped again. Finally, it had come to this. "You got it, Ace. I haven't come all this way for nothing. I'll get out there and show those evildoers who's boss!"

Ace smiled at his enthusiasm. "We believe in you, Zane. Go get 'em! Just be careful out dere, ok?"

"Will do, Ace. I'm off!" Ace nodded and cut the line. Zane hurried to his lab and grabbed his Spinner and Arc Launcher. He quickly remounted the Launcher to the suit's left wrist, ran some simple tests on his stabilization bracers, and hopped into the suit. A panel in his roof slid open and he blasted through it, flying swiftly off into the city to his destiny.

Pink Triangle.

Meanwhile, at Loonatics HQ, the last few weeks had NOT flown by. Quite the opposite, in fact. Now that they were Guardians of the Universe, the Loonatics had a lot more to deal with on a daily basis. Hardly a single day went by without some intergalactic crisis that required their attention. Some days, there were so many issues that Ace had to split the team up into task groups and deal with the problems one at a time, often without the whole team being there. And just to make matters worse, no one got enough sleep these days.

The fact was, Tech's nightmares were getting worse and worse, and every night at least one other team member was woken by a disturbance. Tech tried everything to solve the problem himself, but nothing worked. He soundproofed his room at one point, without telling anyone else, in the hopes that would drown out his howling, which he really couldn't prevent. Unfortunately, that dream was so bad and went on for so long that he actually let loose with his electromagnetic powers and hurled objects around his room. The resulting banging, of course, woke the entire team and it took them 15 minutes to tie down everything metal and finally wake him up.

Zadavia seemed especially put-out by the news of Tech's distress, especially considering that she was the one who sent him to prison in the first place. As much as she wished to come help Tech with his problems, Freleng was in the middle of a small political upheaval and she and Optimatus could not spare to leave their planet, lest they risk a civil war between the various political factions that had recently formed. Speaking of Optimatus, the Loonatics were finally starting to get over their previous mistrust after working with him several times, and took calls from him almost as often as they did from Zadavia.

So, as it was, without Zadavia's advice they were pretty much at a loss for how to truly help Tech begin to heal. They were sure that she had a solution of some sort, but was unable to execute it right now. Without her, the Loonatics felt slightly lost and unsupervised. It had been her, after all, that had brought them all together after the meteor and managed their affairs while they learned to be heroes. All of them loved and respected Zadavia like none other, and felt slightly abandoned by her even though her reasons for being absent were obviously necessary.

Night after night, they could think of nothing else to do but remind Tech consistently that he was with friends, no….family, and that they would all suffer together and heal together. Earlier that week, Ace had made the declaration that he was never again going to give up on any of his teammates. They all solemnly pledged that they would be eternally loyal to each other and to the universe, and only ever act in the interests of protecting the innocent from harm. It was no longer possible for them to betray each other, and if a political party wished to imprison one of them, they would have to break down their god damn door, march an army into HQ, and subdue all six of them. Fat chance that was going to happen.

They were an independent entity now, and even though they worked closely with Tweetums, the Royal Siblings, and the Mayor, they truly answered to no one but each other, and that was a bond that would never again be broken. It simply couldn't be broken. Suffering through that sort of pain again would break them all beyond repair, and they would cease to do their duties.

So here we are now, on the day when Zane will finally be able to prove his worth. As excited as the Loonatics were to see how this would play out, they were also disgruntled as usual from their lack of sleep, a fact that Zane failed to pick up on during his conversation with Ace. Ace looked up from the now blank screen and surveyed the kitchen where his five teammates were. As a team, they were stronger than ever, but everyone was suffering. Lack of sleep aside, no one was yet fully recovered from the emotional stress of losing teammates, enduring unbearable pain, mistrust, and those awful videos of said unbearable pain. Though no one spoke it, they all knew that they were often thinking the same thing, and that was to avoid that sort of pain from happening again at all costs.

Ace strode over to the kitchen table, immediately garnering everyone's full attention. "Alrighty gang, I sent Zane ta try and take down our old pal Massive, but I t'ink we better head on over dere to give him some back up if he needs it."

Before he could finish, Lexi interrupted, evidently concerned. "Um, Ace, are you sure he's ready for a mission like that? The first time we fought Massive he beat all six of us. What makes you think he can win by himself? Without superpowers?"

Ace was only too happy to explain. "A few reasons, Lex. Foist of all, the foist few times we fought Massive we had no idea how his powers woiked. Now, his abilities are well-documented and I know Zane has read up on dem. Second of all, I t'ink you'd be surprised by da sheer amount of technology he's packed into dat suit of his. I'm sure he's got a few 'toys' ta help him deal with Massive. And lastly, he's dealt with all of his threats over da past few weeks flawlessly, and ta tell ya all da truth, we could use his help over here at HQ, we aren't exactly on top of our game dese days. I'm sure ya all are aware of dat. I just needed an excuse ta make sure he's truly ready for dat and dis is de poifect opportunity. Any more objections? No? Alright then, gang. Let's jet!"

Lightning Bolt.

Zane flew rapidly through the skies of Acmetropolis, listening intently to various channels of police chatter. He eventually was able to conclude that Massive was robbing a bank in Sector 8, and arrived on the scene just in time to see the hulking man hover out of the building, dragging a cart loading with gold bars behind him. "Alright Massive, the jig is up! Just surrender now and this doesn't have to get ugly!" he called out, trying to sound braver than he felt. In truth, his heart was racing and his breathing was shallow and he was getting rather sweaty and hey, is it just me or does it suddenly feel too hot out?

Massive looked up in the sky and grinned when he saw the superhero floating there. He had heard about the new guy taking over the Loonatics' old job and was excited to really stick it to him. "Well, well, well. If it isn't 'little' Lightning trying to take on ol' Massive. I wonder how that's going to go." He chuckled at his own pun. "What makes you think you can stand up to me, punk?"

"I don't _think_ I can stand up to you, I _know_ I can! Now drop the money and come quietly!" He said boldly, adopting a fighting stance.

Massive simply laughed again at the absurdity of his request. "Yeah, like that's going to happen. I have a better idea, why don't you have a seat?" he shouted, firing his gravity ability at Zane. The blast connected full on, and Zane felt the new gravity field around him begin to affect him. He quickly punched a few buttons on his wrist consoles, charging up his stabilization bracers. Massive was grinning ear to ear as he motioned with his hand, bringing the new super-heavy Zane crashing to the ground. Or rather, made the motion that should have brought Zane crashing to the ground.

In reality, Zane adopted a curled up pose as he fought against the gravity, but then his limbs exploded outwards as he burst free from Massive's influence. The villain's wide smile slowly faded into a grimace. "Ha! You'll have to do better than that to take me down, Massive!" Massive didn't respond, but growled menacingly as he fired his power again, this time trying to send Zane hurtling into outer space. Once again, however, Zane broke free of his gravity effects. Massive detected a faint whirring noise coming from his suit, and made a note of it.

"I'm done yo-yo-ing with you, loser! Stop me if you can, pest! Ha ha ha!" Massive laughed evilly as he turned and started hovering rapidly away down the street. But Zane would have none of that.

"Oh, no you don't!" he murmured to himself as he launched into pursuit. Whipping his Transmutation Spinner out from his back, he loaded a Jumbo round and fired it at the alley through which Massive was trying to escape. The net whizzed past Massive's head and exploded in front of him, attaching itself to the road and the buildings on either side, effectively cutting off his path.

Massive was dumbfounded by this sudden obstacle for a moment before turning back to Zane with a grin on his face. "Fool! You really think this will stop me? Let me show you what it means to get heavy!" he yelled, charging up his power, intending to make the net so heavy it would collapse on itself. "I call this one parting the net sea! He he!"

But Zane was faster, and quickly fired his Phaser Arc at the net. The entire barricade shimmered and then turned into a solid black wall of obsidian. Massive's energy field connected with the barricade, expanding to encompass its entire volume, his face contorting with strain as he tried to break through the now significantly tougher obstacle. His surprise was evident on his face, how could that net suddenly turn into a very solid wall of pure obsidian? Deciding that using his powers to break down the wall would require more effort than fighting the new guy, he turned to face Lightning.

"Alright then, boy, you've asked for it. Come here!" Massive launched himself at Zane, attempting to engage him in hand-to-hand combat. Zane whipped out his dual plasma blasters and began flying circles around Massive, constantly pelting him with blaster fire. Of course, Massive's dense body prevented him from actually being harmed by Zane's efforts, but the explosions were blindingly bright and prevented Massive from getting close to him.

Eventually, Massive's patience wore out again. He rapidly fired his gravity powers at several objects in the courtyard and soon the air was filled with a maelstrom of flying, heavy objects. Zane yelped as he barely managed to duck his head under a dumpster that whizzed past. Between Massive and all the junk flying around, Zane was having a hard time dodging everything and continuing his volley of blaster fire.

His successful evasion could only last so long. Out of nowhere, a large chunk of the sidewalk slammed into Zane's back, knocking the breath out of him and sending him flying out of control through the air. Next thing he knew, the dumpster had smashed into him and carried him into the wall of a building with a loud crash. Massive laughed at his success. "Ha ha! Can't dodge everything forever now can we? Let's just see if I can't take care of your fancy gravity gizmos here…" he said, stalking over to the dumpster that was smashed up against the wall.

Using his powers, Massive nudged the dumpster aside so that it kept Zane mostly pinned, but left his right arm exposed. Zane groaned in pain, trying to regain his senses. He felt like he had just been hit by a train and was struggling to think straight. Massive once again tried to use his power on Zane, only to have it mysteriously dispelled. This time, however, Massive noticed a faint glow from his wrist, and he reached out and grabbed it. "Hmm, this here seems to be the problem," he said with an evil grin and began to squeeze.

The sudden pain jolted Zane back into reality. "Ow! Hey, what are you doing? Oh no! No, don't do that…arrrggh!" Zane shouted out in pain as his bracer crumpled around his arm with a loud scraping, popping noise. He was almost certain his wrist bones had shattered.

"Awww, what's wrong buddy, did Massive break one of your toys?" Sure enough, Zane's right gravity stabilizer was now a crumpled, sparking mess. "One down, one to go…" he said with a chuckle.

"Now, punk, I'm going to take you out…permanently…"

Fade to black.


	6. The Proving Ground

Chapter 6: The Proving Ground

Lightning Bolt.

Zane struggled against the dumpster, trying to free himself and get away from the hulking figure who was preparing to deal with him. He cried out in pain as his movements jostled his right wrist, reminding him that it was probably broken. Massive shifted the dumpster again to expose his left bracer. "Now I've got you right where I want you…"

However, Zane had already fired up his left stabilizer and neutralized the dumpster holding him in place, and encased his left hand in a larger, metallic fist. He quickly kicked the dumpster away and then punched Massive hard in the face before he could react. Massive careened away from Zane with a loud "Uff!" as his enlarged fist made connection. Zane struggled to his feet, trying to regain his fighting composure. His wrist was hurting him though, and hurting a LOT.

The fist separated into several metallic plates and slid back into his suit, revealing his normal sized hand. Massive picked himself up and started levitating objects again, anger etched in every feature of his face. "Alright, I've had just about enough of this. It's time for a hero sandwich!" he shouted while sending two cars flying at Zane from either direction. Deploying his rocket launcher, Zane fired a rocket at one car and projected his remaining bracer at the other. One of the cars exploded brilliantly while the other simply fell to the ground. As Massive continued to hurl objects at Zane, he neutralized each of them in turn by aiming his wrist at them. Massive growled in frustration as all of his objects clattered to the ground.

"Hmph. It seems like somebody has done their reading. I think I'll just be going now," he called as he levitated a car and hurled it at the obsidian barrier. Sure enough the car smashed through the barrier, leaving a large, jagged hole. But before Massive could even congratulate himself on a job well done, another net was fired and spread itself out over the newly created gap. With a quick arc pulse, the net shimmered yet again and turned into a smooth layer of obsidian, leaving no trace that the wall had been breached at all.

Massive was beginning to panic slightly now. He had spent so long battling Lightning that the cops were sure to show up any minute now, but Lightning somehow had the ability to neutralize his powers at range and was far more maneuverable in the air then he was. However, Lightning was currently nursing his injured arm a fair distance away and waiting for Massive to make his move. He had no choice but to try to get past the wall.

Massive weighed his options. He had tried to break it down with his powers, but that took a lot of effort, and he wasn't sure if he could get it to work without Lightning attacking him in the meantime. The wall wasn't too tall, and he could try to fly over it, but he was clumsy in the air and such an action would give Lightning an advantage and a chance to strike. He was able to smash through the wall with a car, but Lightning was quick enough to patch it up before Massive could reach the hole. There was only one thing left to try.

"Alright, loser, I'm outta here!" he yelled as he charged the wall. He drew back his hand and smashed his fist through the wall. Sure enough, he was able to shatter the black mineral, but as he withdrew his hand for another strike his hand felt strange…almost as though…it was…in pain? Dense as Massive's body may be, obsidian is one of the sharpest known materials and was still capable of cutting open his skin after being broken apart in such a crude manner. And sure enough, Massive's hand was now covered in lacerations.

"Aaarrrrghh! My hand! My hand!" Massive cried in pain. He was so accustomed to being invincible that the sudden sensation of pain was magnified to the point where it commanded his full attention.

Zane smirked and muttered to himself, "checkmate, Massive." Deciding to take advantage of Massive's distraction he flew at full speed towards the looming bad guy's back, who was completely oblivious to the rapidly approaching hero.

In one fluid motion, Zane cut his thrusters, activated his strength enhancers and used his forward momentum to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick that hit Massive square in the back. Massive grunted in surprise and shouted in alarm as he flew forward and smashed through the obsidian wall, raking several ragged cuts over his arms and torso. Zane flew over the wall, Transmutation Spinner at the ready.

Massive lay on the pavement, temporarily subdued by the blazing pain that he now felt all over his body. Zane quickly fired three nets, one at Massive's torso and then two more to pin down his arms. Charging up his Phaser Arc Launcher, Zane fired three bolts in rapid succession and transmuted the nets into a sticky, glue-like substance that would keep the villain pinned to the ground. Finally, he hovered directly above Massive and projected his stabilization bracer downwards, completely encompassing his body and preventing him from using his gravity manipulation at all.

Massive struggled feebly against his sticky restraints, but without the ability to levitate it off of him he was unable to free himself. Zane sighed in relief, glad that the fight was over and that the villain was subdued. He allowed himself to hang limply in midair, trying to ignore the pain in his wrist. He closed his eyes, simply floating there and allowing himself to recover his state of mind slightly. His first major fight had left him shaken, and his heart was still pounding and his breathing still shallow.

The first sound that roused Zane's attention was that of clapping. He opened his eyes and looked around to see several people standing on the street, all of them clapping excitedly and cheering, shouting thanks and sentiments of gratitude up at him. Zane allowed himself a smile and waved at the assembled crowd, bowing slightly in midair. Projecting his voice, he said: "As you can see, crime never pays! Just happy to do my job people. Never fear, for L'il Lightning is here!" This small speech eliciting more applause and cheering from the crowd.

The next sound he was aware of was that of rapidly approaching sirens, and soon enough a large number of cop cars and armored trucks and even a hovertank arrived on the scene, parking in a perimeter around Massive. Armed forces streamed out of the vehicles, some officers quickly pushing the crowd back away from Massive while others headed over to fit him with a pair of power cuffs. Zane deactivated his stabilization bracer and slowly drifted down to the ground. When he landed, he found himself staring at none other than Dane Marshall, the chief of Prison Security.

"Well, well, well, Lightning. It seems I underestimated you before. I must say I'm impressed with your ability to handle Massive here. He was even able to give the Loonatics trouble way back when."

Zane allowed himself a slight smile at the praise. "Let me assure you that it wasn't easy, Dane. He sure gave me a beating…" he grimaced in pain again. "But thank you, I'm just glad that I'm able to help these days. By the way, what took you guys so long to get here?"

"The forces you see here are actually our second attempt to contain Massive. He had already taken care of our first wave by the time you showed up."

Zane looked surprised. "Where are those people now?"

"Probably still floating around in the bank where they confronted him."

Zane smacked himself on the forehead. "Of course! The people in the bank! I totally forgot about them, I'm so stupid! I'll be right back…" he said, turning to leave.

Dane reached out and grabbed Lightning's shoulder to stop him. "Don't worry about them, we have our own gravity-stabilizing technology you know. My men are taking care of them right now." He paused and looked up into the sky. "Oh good, your friends are here. If you'll excuse me I have to make sure Massive gets back to his home, sweet home." He turned and strode away towards the armored truck that Massive was being placed in.

Zane looked up into the sky just in time to see a red and yellow wormhole appear, and six figures fly out and begin to drift towards them. As they drew near, Zane looked up and saluted, with his left hand of course. "All clear down here! Massive's on his way back to prison!"

The Loonatics landed and began to congratulate Zane on his success. "Eh, good job dere Zane!"

"Way to show him, Zane!"

"Wow, you impressed me, Zane."

"Grrrgralblah good Zane!"

"A job well done indeed Zane."

"Wow-Zane-that's-totally-awesome-that-you-took-out-Massive-like-that-and-even-all-by-yourself-you-know-he-used-to-give-all-six-of-us-trouble-way-back-when-so-kudos-on-a-job-well-done!"

Zane grinned as he thanked everyone for their kind words. "Ya come out in one piece, Zane?" Ace inquired.

"Yeah Ace, I'm fine, just…ah! Fine…" he grimaced as he finished his sentence.

"Hmm, sounds to me like you're hurting. Is it serious?" Lexi asked.

Zane relented, "No, I think…I think he may have broken my wrist though…" he said, holding up his damaged right wrist. The team failed to notice the damage before but all knew that his wrist was almost certainly broken after seeing the crumpled mass of metal.

"Yup, I would say definitely broken. Why don't we head back to your lab, Zane. I'm sure I could help you figure something out there," Tech offered.

"Yeah…thanks that sounds good…" Zane was beginning to feel quite tired.

"But first, let me try something…" Tech muttered, his eyes glowing green. He began to reach out with his electromagnetic power to the damaged section of Zane's suit.

But before he could make any progress Zane had an idea. "Hold up, Tech. Let me test something before you do that." Tech looked confused but allowed the glowing green energy field to fade away. Zane gingerly tapped a few buttons on his left wrist console with his right hand, careful not to jostle his wrist. Soon, everyone heard a faint whirring noise as his Electromagnetic Wave Stabilizer powered up and surrounded Zane in a barely visible, light blue forcefield.

"Ok, Tech. Try your power on me now." Tech grinned in anticipation. He had a hunch about the nature of the device Zane had just powered up, and as a fellow scientist he was eager to see if it worked. Sure enough, when he reached out towards Zane with his electromagnetic power, his glowing green energy field fizzled and died out when it reached the light blue forcefield. He tried repeatedly from different angles with increasing strength but nothing could get through.

"Well, well, well Zane. I must say that I'm impressed. Is that device for Mastermind?"

Zane nodded happily. "Yep. I've outfitted my suit so that I can combat each of the known super villains' powers, and the wave stabilizer is to prevent Mastermind from taking over my suit while I'm still in it." He chuckled to himself slightly. "That would be bad. I haven't had a good chance to test it yet and the fact that it successfully repelled your powers makes me quite pleased. All right, now you can do your thing," he said as he turned off the forcefield.

Tech reached out with his power for a third and final time and grabbed Zane's crumpled bracer with it, slowly pulling the metal apart so that it was no longer crushing his arm and wrist. Zane gave a sigh of relief when he was finished, it was good to finally have that pain gone. "Eh, so what happened to your wrist dere, Zane? Did Massive do dat?"

Zane nodded. "Yes, he did. He managed to figure out that my suit has these Anti-Gravity Stabilization Bracers, so he trapped me and crushed one of them so that he could manipulate my gravity and easily win the fight. I'll explain the whole fight to you if you want."

"Yeah, Doc. I'm gonna want ta debrief ya. But foist, let's get back to yer lab and get ya healed up. Den we'll talk." Zane nodded and fired up his rocket boots, leading the team through the skies of the city towards his home.

Yellow Triangle.

They finally arrived at a small warehouse in Sector 7. Zane quickly punched in a code on a number pad, and performed a brief retina and fingerprint scan followed by a voice recognition test. The door finally slid open and Zane hobbled inside. It was obvious to the team that he was exhausted.

"Wow Zane, talk about high security. What's up with dat? And what would happen if someone were to break in without deactivating it?" Ace inquired.

Zane looked distant for a moment before giving a rather vague response. "I have some pretty standard security systems, nothing that you couldn't handle probably but pretty dangerous to most anyone else. Exactly what those are, I think it's best I kept that to myself. As for why, talk to Tech if you want answers. He can tell you." Ace was surprised by Zane's noncommittal answer but said nothing.

"Please, everyone just make yourself at home. I'll be in my lab for a few minutes with Tech," Zane called over his shoulder as he entered his lab, Tech close behind. He flipped the light switch and started walking over to his computer console.

Tech looked around as the lab came into full view. "Wow, Zane. I must say I'm impressed again. The fact that you've got such a remarkable setup in such a small and inconspicuous location says a lot. Quite brilliant."

Zane allowed himself a smile. "I'm glad you like it, Tech. What you see here is basically my entire life's work thus far. Not that it's really too much, I've only been out of school for a few months." As he spoke, he stepped onto the platform where he stored his suit and locked in the boots. The suit then proceeded to open up, the arms and legs popping open while the helmet separated into plates and slid away. The torso split down the middle and opened outwards before partially sliding inwards. Fully opened, all Zane had to do was step out of the suit. That is, if there wasn't a slight problem.

"Dammit, Massive broke the release mechanism as well," he said looking down at the crumpled bracer that refused to open up. "Hey Tech, a little help here?"

"Sure thing," he said as his eyes glowed green. Even with his powers however, he couldn't get the latch to release. It was just too contorted out of position. Tech finally had to use his powers to pull the metal pieces apart. Zane grimaced at the sound of his suit being sheared apart, but knew he would be able to fix it later. "By the way, what's your suit made of Zane?" Tech inquired as he worked.

"Just a simple titanium alloy, probably one that you've used often enough. It's lightweight enough so that I feel reasonably normal while operating the suit, but tough enough to help absorb hits that would otherwise knock me out cold."

The bracer finally separated and Zane wearily stepped out of the suit. Tech immediately turned his attention to his right wrist, holding it gingerly and examining it from multiple directions. "Yeah, I'd say that's broken. Don't worry though, I have just the thing to fix that up," he said as he pulled out a medical kit. "I packed more medical supplies than usual in case something went wrong. This serum here works similarly to my own molecular regeneration powers, but unfortunately it's expensive and difficult to produce, takes quite a bit more time to work, and is extremely localized. It should work just fine for your wrist though," he explained as he held up a syringe filled with a green liquid.

Zane made a face. He absolutely despised needles, but relented and held out his arm. "What's the matter Zane? Able to face down super villains but scared of a little pinprick?" Tech joked.

"Just make it fast…" he replied, closing his eyes and looking away. Tech inserted the needle into his wrist and injected the fluid. He then took some gauze out of the kit and wrapped up Zane's wrist, making a makeshift cast.

"There we go, that should do the trick. Be gentle with it for the rest of today, and it should be fully healed by tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Tech. I appreciate it."

Zane walked around to the back of his suit and grabbed his Transmutation Spinner. When not in use, the spinner compacted into a smaller shape and was stored in the small of his suit's back. With just a press of a button, the spinner would expand to its full size, ready to fire. Spinner in hand, Zane strode over to a seemingly blank wall and moved his hand around on it, obviously feeling for something. Sure enough, a hidden panel in the wall slid open, and Zane placed the spinner inside. The panel slid shut as Zane turned back to Tech, who raised an eyebrow.

"More security? You're really nervous about your technology aren't you?"

Zane nodded sadly. "More than you know. I'm taking as many precautions as I can to prevent anyone from knowing about it, unless of course I decide to tell someone," he said, looking at Tech as he did so.

"Does that mean you're going to tell me how it works now? It should be obvious that I'm quite curious," Tech said excitedly.

"Maybe at some point, but I'd rather not for now. C'mon, let's get back to the others." Tech's ears drooped slightly but he nodded and followed Zane out of the lab.

Green Triangle.


	7. Induction

Chapter 7: Induction

Yellow Triangle.

Zane reentered his main living quarters to find the team seated comfortably on the couch and chairs watching TV. He didn't blame them, there really wasn't much else to do in his humble abode. As he and Tech entered the room, all five pairs of eyes turned to him. The team hadn't really seen Zane outside of his suit before, so they took this opportunity to size him up. He was tall, about six feet, and quite skinny, but his toned muscles belied a pretty strong physique. It was obvious that Zane tried to keep himself in good shape in order to be effective at fighting evildoers. His normally hidden shock of blonde hair spiked out from his head, adding a bit of personality to his figure.

Ace eyed the cast on Zane's wrist as he spoke, "Tech get ya healed up, Zane?" He nodded in response.

"Yup. Should be just fine by tomorrow. Sorry there's not much to do here guys, I put most of my living space into my lab."

"It's really not that bad, Zane. It's nice and simple, I can see that you can live quite comfortably here," Lexi said. "But surely there's more to your place than the living room, kitchen, and your lab?" Zane nodded again.

"Of course there is, would you guys like a quick look around?" Everyone nodded in assent, curious to see how Zane lived.

Zane's living space circled all around the square warehouse in a continuous loop. The main door led to the living quarters and kitchen, which were essentially merged together. A door leading out of the living room brought the group into Zane's bedroom, which connected to the bathroom, which actually had two doors on opposite sides of the room, the other one leading into the lab, which was by far the largest room of course. The group was in awe at the size of Zane's lab. "Wow, and I thought Tech was a real brainiac. This lab puts his to shame. It's cleaner too," Duck commented, eliciting a glare from Tech.

The lab led back to the living room, and then there was one final door that led to the room that was right in the middle of his complex, and it turned out to be a miniature gym space. "This is where I exercise and train. Even though I've never been a big fan of physical activity, I force myself to stay in reasonably good shape so I can fight well. The tour ends here, I'm afraid. Not much to see, huh?"

"Seems like all the essentials to me. Thanks for showing us around Zane, but what do you do in your free time?" Lexi inquired.

"I have my TV and Xbox (A/N: whatever version it is by now) in the living room, some books in my bedroom, the exercise room, and my computer, but honestly I spend most of my time fiddling with stuff in the lab. Actually that's not really true; usually I'm working on my assorted research projects for Acme Tech. I do various types of research for them and they pay me for my efforts. It's not much, but it pays the bills and buys the food. Only about a quarter of my lab time can be spent on my own projects. I'm sure you all know someone who has a similar lifestyle to me," Zane added with a chuckle.

"Oh, you have no idea. Tech practically lives in his lab most of the time," Duck said jokingly.

"Yeah-I-spend-a-fair-amount-of-time-in-the-lab-of-course-fiddling-with-this-or-that-but-Tech-here-can-spend-hours-in-there-at-a-time-without-ever-coming-out-and-often-works-late-into-the-night-and-even-skips-meals-so-sometimes-I-have-to-literally-drag-him-out-of-the-lab-and-force-him-to-eat-or-sleep-mmph!" Tech had grabbed Rev's beak to shut him up.

"Yes, Rev, I do enjoy spending time in the lab, as do you. Only sometimes do I get a little carried away."

Zane laughed at the pair's antics, and the rest of the group chuckled as well. "Ha ha, I've definitely spent more than a few late nights in my lab, but I love food too much to skip a meal, Rev."

Rev looked at Tech with an annoyed expression before responding "Yeah-I'm-the-same-way-good-to-know-that-most-people-are-willing-to-take-the-time-for-the-essentials-at-least."

Zane stifled a yawn as he flopped down on his couch. "Ugh. Not gonna lie, I'm pretty worn out from that fight today. I think I need a nap. Anything else I can help you all with?"

The group settled down on the couch and surrounding chairs as Ace spoke up. "Actually, dere is one thing we'd like to talk ta ya about Zane."

"Alright, hit me Ace."

"Well foist of all, how's about ya tell us how yer fight with our old pal Massive went?"

"Sure thing, Ace. It started when I encountered Massive walking out of the bank in Sector 8…" Zane went on to detail his fight with Massive. The team listened intently, reacting to his story as he went. They looked pleased when Zane had fearlessly challenged Massive, intrigued by when Zane blocked Massive's path with a wall of obsidian, and all cringed when he told of how he was slammed into a wall and had his wrist summarily crushed to bits.

They were especially surprised to hear that Massive actually cut himself on the obsidian. "Hmm, so Massive hoit himself on da obsidian, eh? Interesting…we'll have ta make a note of dat…" Ace said thoughtfully.

"And then I simply locked him down with my nets, transmuted them to the glue-like substance, and used my remaining bracer to subdue him until the cops arrived. That's pretty much it," Zane said, finishing his recount of the battle. The team simply looked him over for a few minutes, their faces unreadable.

Ace finally spoke up. "Wow Zane, I gotta say, and I t'ink I speak for everyone here when I say dis, job well done. You surpassed all of our expectations by beating Massive single-handedly. Despite having no super powers whatsoever, ya continue ta surprise all of us with yer skills, determination, and morals. You've demonstrated everyt'ing I see in our team every day. Derefore, I would like ta extend an invitation for ya ta join da Loonatics as Guardians of da Univoise Zane, and come live with us at our headquarters on Blanc. I poisonally vote in favor of yer acceptance."

Zane was stunned into silence. He couldn't believe this was actually happening, Ace was inviting him to join his longtime heroes! The rest of the team was silent as well, for they expected Ace to invite Zane to join them at some point but none of them thought that would happen this early. Tech was the first to speak. "After talking with Zane about his research, it is clear to me that he is a brilliant and capable individual, and strives to meet the highest moral expectations we of the scientific community have imposed upon ourselves. His attempts to use his technology for good, and his repeated success at doing so with minimum collateral damage is impressive, super powers or not. In addition, his scientific expertise is in some of my weaker fields, so he would be an excellent intellectual complement to the team and I look forward to working with him in the lab. I also vote to accept Zane onto the team."

Rev immediately backed his friend up. "Yes!-I-think-it's-totally-great-that-Zane-is-trying-to-be-a-somebody-despite-being-a-bit-of-a-nobody-before-just-like-all-of-us-before-the-meteor-hit-so-in-that-regard-we-already-have-a-lot-in-common-and-with-his-brain-the-things-we-could-come-up-with-in-the-lab-would-be-totally-sweet-sweet-sweet! I-also-think-it's-a-great-idea-to-let-Zane-join-the-team."

Lexi spoke up next, "He's got potential, he's got spirit, and he believes in all the same things we do. It may be a bit earlier than I expected, but he sure proved his stuff today. I for one also think it's a wonderful idea to let Zane onto the team."

Slam voiced his opinion next, and it was short and sweet. "Rrrrlllfftblah Zane do good. Blurblgor me think should join team."

All eyes turned to Duck, excepting Zane who was busy staring at the floor in a state of shock, a hint of a smile dancing on his face as he listened to the conversation. Duck looked thoughtful for a moment before finally speaking. "He may not be as good-looking, talented, or strong as me, but he's certainly proven that he's got the stuff. I shall defer to my team, and agree that we should accept Zane into our action hero ranks." Everyone rolled their eyes at Duck's comment but then smiled at Zane, awaiting his response.

Zane was silent for some time before he finally raised his head and stood up, a mix of emotions written on his face. He crossed his arms and spoke confidently, "Ace, Tech, Lexi, Rev, Slam, Duck…" he looked at each team member as he spoke their names. "It would be the utmost honor for me to accept your invitation to join the Loonatics, and I hereby humbly pledge myself to you all, to fight alongside you against the forces of evil for the good of the galaxy, no matter the danger. I pledge to support the team, placing the success of the group before personal endeavors, and I commit to working alongside you, in order to develop new technologies that present new ways to protect the innocent. This moment means more to me than you could possibly imagine."

"Oh, knock it off Zane, of course we can imagine," Lexi said giggling. "We all felt the exact same way when Zadavia first brought us together and helped us learn how to use our powers for good. And that's why I'm glad to have you on the team, because we all think the same." Everyone else nodded and voiced their assent.

"Alrighty den, it's official. I can honestly say dat we're glad ta have ya, now more den ever. As da newest member of da team, it's time I let ya know what's been going on with us. It's your right ta know as a Loonatic."

Zane looked at Ace with surprise. "You mean the whole deal with the lack of sleep thing?" he inquired.

"Exactly. But foist, if we're gonna give up our secrets you need ta be willing ta give up yours. So let's hear about dis Transmutation Spinner thingy of yours dat's got Tech so riled up. And remember, we're a team now. The bonds of friendship dat we will undoubtedly form will never be broken. Ya can tell us everything, and trust us ta maintain dat knowledge appropriately. It's wat a team does, after all."

Zane looked over his new friends as he considered what he was about to say. He really wanted to tell them, he really did. The fact that he was the only one who knew about his secret had been tearing him up inside, but he had no one to confide in. That is, until now. "Ok, I'm going to tell you all exactly what it is I have discovered, and why I am afraid of it. I only want to say this once, so just pay attention and wait until I'm done. You may not understand everything I say, but that's not really a problem. Here goes…"

And so, Zane told the entire team about the secret behind his Transmutation Spinner. He started off by telling them about his education, as he had Tech, about how he had majors in biochemistry and mechanical engineering, and a minor in electrophysics. He continued on to detail his personal experiments since graduation, leading the team into the lab at this point to give some details.

He strode over to his computer console and turned it on, quickly pulling up a few schematics of some very complicated-looking molecules and displaying them on the main screen. Knowing that most of the team would lose him here but continuing anyways, Zane went on to describe the experiment that had led him to discover a unique property of a certain compound, one that was previously thought to be useless and had been a by-product of some of Zane's reactions. Most of the team adopted rather glazed expressions at this point, but politely said nothing and continued listening. Even Rev had a few difficulties understanding some of the finer points, but was able to keep his beak shut. Only Tech truly understood everything Zane was saying, and was focusing on him with keen interest.

He told them how the molecule's unique composition, structuring, and even geometry gave it incredibly unique capabilities. He then detailed his experiments which demonstrated that this compound could be 'transmuted' into other types of useful materials. He strode over to a blank wall, opened his hidden safe, and withdrew his spinner. Passing a few of the folded-up nets around, he explained how these nets were made of that compound, which he very carefully synthesized, polymerized, and then wove into nets here in his laboratory. The nets were then folded and energetically charged, accounting for the slight green glow, which Zane said was necessary for the nets to function properly with his Spinner's propulsion mechanism, which he had to take an extra-credit aerodynamics class in order to perfect.

Finally, Zane loaded five nets and shot them at targets that folded out of more hidden panels in the blank wall. Zane then dismounted his Arc Launcher from his suit and mounted it on a base, making what looked like a ray gun, and fired it at the five nets. Each of the nets briefly shimmered before turning into a different material. The first one was the clear plastic material that they all recognized. The next one was the obsidian, and the third one appeared to be some sticky glue-like material. The fourth one looked all the world like concrete, although the team doubted it really was, and the fifth one was something strange, something they had never seen before.

The fifth compound was some sort of viscous fluid that slowly wobbled about, almost like it was Jell-O. Although it reminded the team of Tech's recently discovered Gluco-Gel, it had a strange appearance. It was translucent in nature but shimmered with all colors of the rainbow, and as the Loonatics turned their heads to different angles the patterns on the blob changed as well. "As you can see, these materials are quite similar to things you already know: plastic, obsidian, glue, concrete, and…well, Jell-O." The team looked at him with raised eyebrows, that fifth compound was obviously not Jell-O.

"You sound rather concerned, Zane. Why?" Tech inquired.

"Well," Zane began, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "The truth is that I don't really know what that fifth compound is. All of my tests suggest that it's nothing important, and it doesn't match any other known compound on record. However, I have a suspicion that there's something very special about it. As for what that is, I really couldn't say." Zane pressed a button on a remote and the team watched a set of mechanical arms started to scrape, melt, and chip the substances off of the targets and deposit them into disposal units.

Zane continued a bit more about how the compounds weren't actually what they were believed to be, and in fact had completely different chemical makeups from the originals, all which of course revolved around the makeup of the original base chemical. It was simply coincidence that made them similar to other known materials. He told them that, in theory, there should be a way to transform any of those five compounds into any of the other five because of their chemical similarities, but he also wasn't sure how to do that yet either. "As you can see, I've only really scratched the surface of the possibilities this line of research provides, but I hesitate to continue."

Zane went on to tell the team about his fears for this technology, and all of their faces looked concerned when Zane mentioned weapons capable of liquefying organisms and glassing planets… "And that is why I need you all to promise me that you won't speak of this to anyone without my explicit permission. If any of these fears were to be made reality while I am still alive, it would be entirely my fault and I would not be able to live with myself afterwards. If you are truly to become my new teammates, I must know that you can do this for me. Not a peep. Not even for money…" he growled, eyeing Duck in particular.

The entire team repeated Zane's action. Duck squirmed before relenting, "all right, all right! If it really means that much to you guys I'll spare myself a couple million bucks and keep my bill shut…" he said sourly, thinking about how rich he could be with this knowledge. Truth be told however, he cared more about his team then the money, and truthfully hadn't really, too genuinely considered the prospect of selling this info. Of course, it didn't help that he didn't really understand how it worked, and doubted he could turn his limited understanding into sellable information anyways.

"Of course ya can trust us Zane, we're yer new team now. And as teammates, we promise ta always listen ta anything important youse has ta say in full confidentiality. Your secret is safe with us, as is everything else." Zane looked obviously relieved after hearing this.

Based on the amount that he had talked (for a whole hour) and the fact that not all of it was really important, it was obvious Zane had been venting and just needed to tell someone about his secret. "Thanks guys, you have no idea how relieving it is to know that I'm not the only one to know, doomed to spend his entire life trying to hide a dark secret…"

"Absolutely, Zane. It was our pleasure," Lexi said sweetly.

"All right den, Zane. Now dat ya've spilled da beans ta us, it's our turn. Here's what happened recently…"

Lightning Bolt.


	8. Building Trust

Chapter 8: Building Trust

Yellow Triangle.

Ace began to talk as the team (now of seven, not six) filed back into the living room and plopped down on the assorted furniture. Zane listened intently as Ace told him about the Loonatics' recent plight. Unlike usual, this adventure was not very well publicized and so he knew very little about it, despite his near-fanatic followings of the Loonatics in the past.

Ace told Zane about how Tech was believed to be a spy, and that he was forced by the leaders of Blanc, Acmetropolis, Freleng, and Mars (Zane raised his eyebrows as he heard of Martian involvement) to imprison him. Ace sadly spoke about how devastated the team was at this turn of events, and that none of them had properly recovered from the traumatic experience yet. Zane listened thoughtfully, thinking about how such feelings must be an integral part of being a member of such a tight-knit team. Would he be feeling such feelings soon? Would his team feel that way about him?

As he listened, Zane glanced around at the different Loonatics in turn. All of them looked distant, obviously reflecting on extremely painful memories. Tech looked the most solemn of all of them, and Zane briefly wondered why. Ace went on to explain how Tech's trial was held in his absence, and that he had been sentenced to serve for life, only escaping the death penalty on behalf of his regeneration powers. Tech actually growled out loud at this comment, and Ace quickly moved on.

He talked about how the rest of the team had to deal with an unruly outbreak on Freleng, which turned out to be the doings of the Keyboard Man and his funky band. He next detailed their fight on Acmetropolis, where Pink the Pug and his cronies, Stoney and Bugsy, almost managed to strip the team of their powers with the Curium-247 and nearly got Slam killed. This particular scenario was the reason why Stoney and Bugsy broke out of a surface jail before being corralled by Zane.

Then, Ace mentioned how Mallory managed to escape from prison at Tech's doing and caused havoc at their old base before being re-captured. He also told how they had been urgently summoned to Blanc afterwards because Grannicus and Slyth Vester had escaped. However, the two evildoers disrupted the wormhole the team had been traveling in and manged to trap them in the prison dimension. Left alone to think, Ace explained how the team was devastated by these events, convinced that the mastermind behind them could be no one else but Tech, despite his obvious incarceration.

The planetary leaders had to agree, and so decided to move Tech to a higher-security location, all the while believing that the Loonatics had fallen. However, when Optimatus was sent to retrieve Tech he found that he had already escaped, and Tech won the ensuing brawl and escaped through the wormhole. Tech took over the story at this point, detailing his escape much more than Ace could and his resulting on-the-fly inventions, which Zane took interest in. Especially that chain reflector thing, and Zane noticed for the first time that Tech was wearing fingerless gloves with spikes on them, probably a part of his old setup.

Tech continued on about how he freed the rest of the team and convinced them to grudgingly help him stop the real threat, which was of course the Martians, who were of course behind all of the recent chaos and prison breakouts. Zane was shocked momentarily but not really surprised in the end to find out it was the Martians all along who were responsible for this whole mess. Tech detailed his attempts to gain the Martians' trust, which unfortunately involved selling out his team, but ended with how he eventually managed to deflect the fleet's firepower back at them, utterly destroying it. Afterwards, he was able to regain the trust of his team and receive an acquittal from the planetary leaders, along with their sincere apologies.

Ace took over yet again. "So ya see, Zane, we've been through some pretty stressful times recently and it almost tore us all apart. We're still recovering from dat. Dis is why we will never allow ourselves ta lose our trust in each oder ever again. I hope ya realize now what kind of bonds are beginning to form between us, and dat such a trust is almost impossible ta heal. Do NOT take dis lightly…" Ace growled slightly, accenting the importance of his last statement.

Zane gulped and glanced around at their team. They had all been gazing softly at each other during the last part of the story, but were all now glaring at him with expressions that clearly said 'you only have one chance.' Zane nodded in understanding, "I can see that you all have been through a lot recently. Truthfully though, I don't intend on doing anything that could break such a relationship. I can't really remember the last time others have treated me so nicely and in such an accepting manner, and I'm really not eager to lose that. I hope you all can see that I am worthy of such a trust, because I am going to be expecting the same from all of you."

Ace nodded in a satisfactory manner. "Alright den, it's settled. We're going ta have ta move ya back to our HQ on Blanc somehow, and I'm assuming you'll want yer lab ta come with ya, right?"

Zane nodded thoughtfully. "Y'know, I bet with some help I could get this warehouse turned into a working space ship of sorts and fly there. We can deal with the nitty gritty construction details then. Unfortunately, I'll have to actually purchase this property before we can do that. I'm still just a rentor after all."

Ace nodded thoughtfully. "Don't worry about dat, we'll cover for ya. But right now, we need ta get ya some of our Loonatics gear! C'mon gang, let's head on over ta our old HQ and see if we can't find some goodies for our new member." As everyone rose to their feet and headed for the door, Ace stopped Zane. "Eh, hold up dere, Doc. Dere's something I'd like ya ta do in da meantime." Zane looked confused, but complied as the rest of the team left the building and took off towards HQ.

Ace handed Zane a disk. Before Zane could ask about what it was, Ace said "watch dis for an hour or so until we get back. It'll explain completely why some of us have had trouble sleeping recently. If ya want ta be part of da team, ya have ta know da whole truth," Ace said grimly as he turned to leave.

"Wait! I'm supposed to watch this by myself?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I don't t'ink any of us are mentally capable of watching any more of it."

"Well that makes me feel really good about it."

"Just do what ya can, Zane. We'll be back in about an hour. None of us managed to watch all of it, anyways." And with that, Ace left the building and took off, the door sliding closed behind him. Great, just great. Now Zane had to watch some horror film about his long time heroes. He groaned in dismay as he inserted the disk into his Xbox and turned on the TV, preparing for the worst.

Pink Triangle.

As the team flew over the city towards their old, familiar tower Ace pulled up alongside Tech and called out to him. "So, Tech, we're going ta need ta get Zane a suit and a jetpack for starters, and do ya t'ink that suit of his is capable of space flight?"

"If it's not already, five minutes says yes," Tech said with a smirk.

"Also, got any bright ideas on how ta get his lab squared away in our HQ?"

Tech glanced sidelong at Ace as they flew, grinning like the crazy coyote genius that he was. "C'mon, Ace, when have I ever been out of ideas?"

Ace grinned back at Tech, "glad ta hear it Tech ol' pal."

The gang arrived at the base of the tower in no time, and Tech disabled the tower's 'standby mode' security measures in even less time, and the team filed inside. "Aaah, home sweet home! Feels good to be back!" Duck said enthusiastically, striding over to his original favorite holo-mirror and striking a pose. The rest of the team shook their heads good-naturedly before spreading out to find anything of use they might need. Tech immediately headed to the lab to whip up an extra jetpack and start on a suit.

"Ok-let's-see-checking-all-the-important-places-for-interesting-stuff-bedrooms-no-training-room-no-Tech's-checking-his-lab-I'm-sure-hanger-no-floors-two-through-one-hundred-and-fifty-no-no-no-no-no-kitchen-ewww-what-is-that?-that's-a-big-no-well-at-least-for-all-of-us-but-maybe-Slam-will-want-it-hmm?-Man-don't-you-guys-miss-this-place-sometimes-all-the-good-times-we-had-and-stuff-I-know-I-do-those-days-were-the-best-not-to-say-that-the-current-days-aren't-the-best-but-you-know-what-I-mean-and-man!-it-just-feels-good-to-run-around-for-a-little-while-wouldn't-you-guys-agree?-after-all…" The team chuckled as Rev's rambling speech continued to echo throughout the tower.

Fifteen minutes later, the team met back up in the main control room, Tech holding a folded up jetpack in one hand and a black Loonatics uniform in the other. The others had managed to find a few odds and ends that they felt should leave the tower with them. "So chief, I put together the essentials but I came across a conundrum. What color should I make the suit?"

Ace looked thoughtful for a moment before projecting the question to the team. "Gee, I dunno Tech, what color should we make da suit?"

Lexi was the first to speak up. "How about blue? I bet it would go really well with those eyes of his…" Lexi petered off, preventing herself from saying something more. The team looked at her thoughtfully and saw she was blushing slightly.

"Blue, eh? Like light blue or darker?"

"Kinda a middling color I was thinking, like a little bit lighter than the ocean."

"All right den, dat sounds good ta me. Tech?"

"Gimme five minutes chief," Tech said, heading off to the lab. Soon enough, the suit with a blue triangle on the front was ready to go.

"All right team, I told Zane we was gonna be a while, so let's all grab a bite ta eat while we wait. Let's jet!"

Meanwhile, Zane was not having a good time. He sat on the couch with his legs pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, just sitting there doing nothing. The screen was off, and the disk was on the table. He was just sitting there, thinking about what he had just seen, tears rolling slowly down his cheeks… Although it felt like no time at all, soon he heard a knock on the door, signaling the return of the team. Zane started, realizing he had been in a bit of trance before standing up and striding over to the door.

He opened the door and saw the team, Tech standing in the forefront (at Ace's instruction). Upon seeing him, Zane reached forward and pulled Tech into a brotherly embrace, struggling to contain his emotions. "Tech, I'm so, so sorry…" was all he could manage to say.

Tech was startled at first, but then relaxed and returned the gesture. After all, they were brothers now. "It's ok, Zane. I did what I had to for the team. In the end, the experience has only made us stronger." Zane pulled away wordlessly and looked him in the face critically. His expression then softened and he simply nodded in acknowledgement.

Zane strode back into his room, picked up the disk, and handed it to Ace. "It took me all of my willpower to not crush it," he growled menacingly. Ace simply smirked as he took the disk. He then did something unexpected.

Turning to his team Ace said "dis is for us!" and tossed the disk into the air and roasted it with his laser vision, sending pieces of the disk scattering in every direction.

The entire team looked on dumbstruck before Duck finally said, "good riddance. I for one am glad to see that crap gone." And at that, the entire team burst out laughing, simply glad to be rid of such a painful and evil object.

"Ya did good Zane. It was important for ya ta know da truth, but now dat's dat and we can all put it behind us. Now, here's something we would all like ya ta have…" he said holding the suit out to Zane. Zane just stared dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what was happening. The suit was a Loonatics uniform with a blue triangle…

Blue. The one color Zane had always thought would look good on a new member, but he had never dreamed it would have been him. He took the suit and finally managed to say, "Thank you. Thank you all, this means so much to me…"

"Well? What are you waiting for, go try it on!" Lexi encouraged.

"Ok, I'll be right back," Zane replied, hastily running into his room. A minute later the door reopened and Zane walked out, trying to strike his best heroic pose for his new team to see. The suit was a perfect fit (of course) and almost made him look just a little bit taller. It was true, the blue of the suit matched the blue of his eyes quite well, giving him a simultaneously caring and forceful look. His face and hands also took on a slightly bluish hue from the power of the suit.

"Well, what do you think?" The team looked on thoughtfully and began to nod.

Lexi was the first to speak, "I think it looks great, Zane. I was right, the blue of the suit does match the blue of your eyes quite…well…ehehe…" she trailed off again, smiling cutely at Zane before turning her gaze away, suddenly interested in something on the wall. Zane grinned but thought nothing of it, looking at the rest of the team for approval.

"Well, of course it doesn't look as good on you as it does on me, but I'd still say not bad, not bad at all," Duck commented wryly, dusting off his own suit as he spoke.

The team rolled their eyes but all congratulated Zane once again on his acceptance and new look. "Alright Zane, we're gonna go and let ya sleep now. We'll be at HQ, thinking about how ta get ya moved over ta Blanc. Tomorrow we should be ready ta go, until den we'll see ya round ok, buddy?"

"Yeah sounds great Ace," Zane said stifling a yawn. "Yes, I'm pretty tired right now. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow. G'nite guys…" he said as he headed sleepily for his room, his previous exhaustion having finally caught up to him.

The team said their goodbyes and headed out the door, but not before Tech spoke up saying, "I'm leaving you a jetpack out here in case you need it. G'nite champ." Zane thanked him as he locked the door behind him. He crawled into bed with his suit still on he was so tired. He closed his eyes, his thoughts slowly drifting away into dreams of him fighting epic battles against crime with his new friends…

Blue Triangle. Meanwhile, in some undisclosed location…

"So, gentlemen, that is our plan. What do you think? Are you willing to help us in our glorious quest for…revenge?" an evil sounding voice inquired, placing special emphasis on the last word. Two figures that were previously concealed in shadows leaned forward, their faces becoming illuminated by the single candle that sat in the middle of the table, flickering feebly.

The first figure to speak was Otto the Odd, and he sounded positively delighted as he responded, "Yes…yes…I like this plan. No, I love this plan! I'll get started on my portion of it right away…" he finished with an evil laugh, a wide grin splitting his round face.

The other figure spoke in his unmistakable dialect: "I think- I thi- I thin- I love it. Let's do- Let's d- Let's get 'em," Pink the Pug added. The three figures all laughed long and low as they exchanged handshakes, sealing the deal. And the Loonatics' fate.

Fade to black.


End file.
